156 BULLETIN 16 2, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



oped a strong friendship for a farmer and even allowed herself to 

 be handled by other people. The friendship lasted through at least 

 two seasons. " When Mr. Rand called 'Chickee,' 'Chickee,' the bird 

 would come out of the woods and sit upon his knee. From his knee 

 she would fly to his shoulder, and then to the ground. The bird 

 would repeat this performance a half dozen times, clucking con- 

 tentedly the while." 



Howard H. Cleaves (1920) tells an interesting story of a bellig- 

 erent cock grouse called " Billy " that " went forth to battle " with 

 a motor tractor; he was evidently attracted by the noise it made, 

 was not in the least afraid of it, and would even ride on it in 

 motion. When first seen he was 



25 yards up the road, his ruff extended and his head lowered and jerkin? 

 nervously, after the manner of a rooster about to make battle with his foe. 

 Billy took the middle of the lane and, following a peculiar, sinuous course, 

 came steadily on to meet us with reckless abandon. The contrast was absurd. 

 On the one side was a wild bird not larger than a bantam, and on the other 

 were five adult humans led by a mobile mass of several thousand pounds of 

 steel from which emanated a loud noise : a feathered David and a mechanical 

 Goliath. 



At the instant when it seemed that further advance by either side would 

 mean annihilation for the eccentric Grouse, the pilot brought his tractor 

 to a stop and descended to the ground, whereupon began one of the most 

 remarkable of exhibitions. Billy darted toward Mr. Armstrong's feet and 

 pecked at his trousers, and when Mr. Armstrong walked away the bird ran 

 after him with the greatest agility, striking with wing or beak on coming 

 within range. If a hand were extended toward him, Billy would peck it also 

 and, most extraordinary of all, he would permit himself to be picked up and 

 freely handled, perching on finger, wrist, or shoulder. When on the latter he 

 was invariably prompted to investigate one's eyes and nose with his sharp 

 beak! 



A number of other published accounts illustrate similar traits. 

 These abnormal birds are usually resident in some restricted area 

 where they can generally be called by the human voice or whistle or 

 come to the sound of a moving vehicle, a woodchopper's ax, or a stick 

 rustling among the leaves. They follow their human friends about 

 like pet dogs, can be coaxed to eat out of human hands, will often 

 peck at them in a possibly playful manner, and will eventually allow 

 themselves to be handled. Rae T. Hadzor (1923) tells of a hen 

 grouse that flew into the yard one fall, possibly to escape from some 

 enemy, and lived there about a year, mingling with the chickens but 

 roosting by herself in an open shed. She became tame enough to eat 

 out of the hand and even laid a set of eggs in the orchard. Of course, 

 they did not hatch. 



When a ruffed grouse is suddenly flushed it springs into the air 

 with a loud whirring of wings, which is quite startling and discon- 

 certing to a novice, and goes hurtling off through the trees or bushes 



