THE SOOTY GROUSE, 45 



young broods again in the early fall. At any rate, I have more tlian once 

 come upon several cocks in June and July without seeing a single hen 

 amongst them. High rocky points near the edges of the main timber, amongst 

 juniper and mountain mahogany thickets, are their favorite abiding places at 

 that time of the year. Tlie young chicks are kept by the hen for the first 

 week or two in close proximity to the place where they were hatched, and not 

 mitil they have attained two weeks' growth will they be found along the 

 willows and thickets bordering the mountain streams. Their food consists at 

 first principally of grasshoppers, insects, and tender plant tops, and later in the 

 season of various species of berries found then in abundance everywhere, as 

 well as the seeds of a species of wild sunflower, of which they seem to be very 

 fond. It is astonisliing how soon the young chicks learn to fly, and well, too, 

 and how quickly they can hide and scatter at the first alarm note of the mother 

 bird, which invariably tries by various devices to draw the attention of the 

 intruder to herself and a^vay from her young. A comparatively small leaf, a 

 bunch of grass, anything in fact will answer their purpose; you will scarcely 

 be able to notice them before they are all securely hidden, and unless you 

 should have a well-trained dog to assist you, the chances are that you will 

 fail to find a single one, even when the immediate surroundings are com- 

 paratively open. After the young broods are about half grown, .they spend the 

 greater portion of the day, and I believe the night as well, among the slirub- 

 bery in the creek liottoms, feeding along the side hills in the early hours of the 

 morning and evening. During the heat of the day they keep close to the 

 water, in shady trees and the heavy undergrowth. They walk to their feeding 

 grounds, but in going to water they usually fly down from the side hills. 



"The love note of the cock has a very peculiar soimd, hard to describe. 

 It can l)e heard at almost any hour of the day in the spring, often in the 

 lieginning of March, when there is still plenty of snow to be found, and it 

 is kept up till well into the month of May. It is known as hooting or lioom- 

 ing. The cocks when engaged in this amusement may be found perched on 

 horizontal limbs of large pine or fir trees, with their air sacks inflated to the 

 utmost, wings drooping, and the tail expanded. Tliev then present a very 

 ludicrous appeai-ance, especially about the he;ul. When at rest these air 

 sacks, of a pale orange yellow color in the spi-ing, are only noticeable by 

 separating the feathers on the neck and iijjper parts of the breast, but when 

 inflated they are tlie size of a medium orange and somewhat resemble one 

 cut in halves. This call is repeated several times in rapid succession, 

 decreasing gradually in volume, but can at any time be heard at quite a 

 distance. It appears to be jn-oduced by the sudden forcing of a portion of 

 the air in the sack through the throat, and is quite misleading as to the exact 

 locality whence uttered, the birds being expert ventriloquists. 



"I have frequently tried in vain to locate one while so engaged, where 

 there Avere but few trees in the vicinit}'; and although I searched each one 

 tlu'ough carefully, and with a powerful field glass to assist me, I had to give 



