Bird-Life in Labrador. 47 



(Jom rise until the hunter is close upon them ; then, with a 

 tremendous rush and flutter, they fly to some bush, rock, or 

 tree, in the most open and exposed situation, apparently to see 

 what their danger may be. Like the ostrich who, hiding his 

 head, regards his body as safe from the hunter so the spruce 

 partridge regards himself as safe anywhere but in the very 

 bushes that conceal him from the hunter's approach. Having 

 once gained his perch of observation he cranes his neck and 

 looks blindly about in every direction. At this time the hun- 

 ter approaches, even recklessly, and secures his game by the 

 very unmanly process of knocking him over with some long 

 pole provided for the ])urpose, or even with the very muzzle 

 oT his gun. Sometimes several will alight upon a tree or be 

 discovered on their roost, then the same process is {)ut into 

 operation ; the hunter knocks over the one lowest down upon 

 the branches, so that his fall will not greatly disturb those 

 higher up who either seldom move at all or merely change 

 their position slightly upon the branch on which they rest, or 

 move to the next higher one, so that the hunter is soon able 

 to deal with the whole number without disturbing them suffi- 

 ciently to cause them to take wing and escape by flight. This 

 is the actual process pursued with this very foolish bird, who 

 does not seem to have even sense enough to know danger 

 when he sees it. The spruce partridge is not nearly as com- 

 mon now as it was a few years ago even, yet there are still 

 enough to furnish an occasional meal to anybody who will 

 hunt them. For the past few years they have not been hunted 

 to any great extent, since the ptarmigan, the bird which usu- 

 ally goes by the name of simply partridge here, is generally 

 so very much more abundant. As a rule the farther inland 

 one goes, within an extent say of fifty or one hundred miles 

 at least, the more abundant the spruce partridge becomes. 

 There is another species of the brown-colored partridges that 

 is occasionally found here, if reports be true, which goes 

 under the name of '•' pheasant ; " whether it be the ruffed grouse 

 of the States or some other species I could not learn. T have 



