250 BIEDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK 



an observer, whining piteously. When the woods are again 

 quiet, she may be heard mewing and clucking to the young, 

 who have been hiding in the dry leaves and now rejoin her. 



From March to May the drumming of the male is a con- 

 stant sound in swampy woods. It begins with hollow thump- 

 ing sounds, separated by slight intervals ; these soon run 

 rapidly into one another, and the performance ends in a 

 reverberating roll. The best explanation of the dramming 

 of the Partridge is that of Mr. Brewster, who is convinced 

 " that the bird's wings strike neither its body nor the log [on 

 which it stands], but simply the air, and that the sound 

 which they produce while the Partridge is drumming is 

 essentially the same as that heard when it starts in flight " 

 (Minot, p. 409, note). The drumming is rare in mid- 

 summer, but is not infrequently heard on warm days in the 

 autumn. At night Partridges roost in trees, and where they 

 are not shy they often fly to a tree when startled and watch 

 the intruder from their perch. On winter afternoons they 

 often burrow into the snow and spend the night in this shel- 

 ter. Their tracks are frequent in the winter woods, for they 

 walk rather than fly from place to place, making long lines 

 in various directions. When they do fly, their outspread 

 wings leave one or two impressions just beyond the end of 

 their track. In summer they frequently dust themselves in 

 the road, and, like many birds, seem little alarmed by the 

 approach of a carriage. 



The male may be told from the female by his larger size, 

 longer tail, and more conspicuous ruff of black feathers, 

 formed by prominent tufts at each side of the neck. The 

 widespread tail varies in color from gray to reddish-brown. 

 The G-rouse found on the upland of western Massachusetts 

 and in northern New York and New England has grayer 

 upper parts, more distinct barring on the breast and belly, 

 and generally a grayer tail ; it is known as the Canadian 

 Ruffed Grouse. 



