290 The Ruffed Grouse. 



leads them in search of food, covers them at nisfht with her wino-s. 

 and evinces the greatest care and affection towards them on the 

 least appearance of danger, trying by every art in her power to 

 draw the attention of her enemies to herself, feio-ninsf lameness, 

 tumbling and rolling about as if severely wounded, and by this 

 means generally succeeding in saving them. The little ones squat 

 at the least chuck of alarm from the mother, and lie so close as to 

 suffer one to catch them in the hand, should he chance to discover 

 them, which, however, it is very difficult to do. The males are then 

 beginning to form small parties, and continue separated from the 

 females until the approach of winter, when males, females and 

 young mingle together. During summer these birds are fond of 

 dusting themselves, and resort to the roads for that purpose, as 

 well as to pick up gravel." (Audubon, vol. 5, p. 79.) 



In the spring the woods where these birds are common resound 

 with the drumming of the male, which is thus performed : the 

 male bird, standing erect on a prostrate decayed tree, raises the 

 feathers of its body in the manner of a turkey-cock, draws its 

 head towards its tail, erecting the feathers of the latter at the 

 same time, and raising its ruff around the neck, suffers its wings 

 to droop, and struts about on the log. A few moments elapse, 

 when the bird draws the whole of its feathers close to its body, and 

 stretching itself out, beats its sides with its wings in the manner 

 of the domestic cock, but more loudly, and with such rapidity of 

 motion, after a few of the first strokes, as to cause a tremor in the 

 air not unlike the rumbling of distant thunder; in perfectly calm 

 weather this sound may be heard two hundred yards. The female 

 never drums. The male occupies the same tree for drumming 

 during the season, and it may be easily recognized by the quan- 

 tity of excrements and feathers. 



The bird when started by a man or dog rises suddenly from the 

 ground with a loud whirring noise which, according to Audubon, 

 is only made when the bird is alarmed. He says that he has often 

 seen the Grouse rise from the ground of its own accord as gently 

 and softly as any other bird, and \\'ithout producing any whirring 

 sound whatever. Its flight is straight forward and is seldom pro- 

 tracted beyond a few hundred yards at a time. Sometimes when 

 started on the sides of a steep hill the Grouse will dive towards 

 the foot of the declivity, and take a sudden turn to the right or 

 left in a direction so unexpected that unless the sportsman is 

 aware of the trick he may not put up the bird again that day. 



