76 WING-SHOOTING. 



variety of food — grain, seeds, beech-nuts, acorns, wild 

 fruits, nuts, and, during the winter months, winter berries, 

 the buds of laurel, spruce, iron- wood, soft maple, black 

 birch and alder. 



When flushed they skim over the ground, or rise to 

 about seven or eight feet, but when flushed in clumps of 

 bushes, they rise twenty or thirty feet. After rising for 

 the flight, they go straight away to the thickest portion 

 of cover, but after the first flight, often lie well to the dog. 



GROUSE-SHOOTING. 



For many years I hunted grouse in a haphazard sort of 

 way, and thought myself lucky enough to bag one or two. 

 I liked the shootino^ well enoup^h, but considered them too 

 wild to give one much sport, yet in time I became convinced, 

 through the success of a country lout, that the ruffed grouse 

 is the game bird par excellence of all our birds. This 

 fellow showed me that he could flush a grouse some half- 

 a-dozen times, and then shoot him while sitting upon the 

 ground v/ith a two-dollar gun. Some years ago I began 

 hunting them in a rational manner, and having, in a 

 measure, mastered their habits, haunts, and cunning, I 

 have devoted the greater part of my shooting days, of 

 late years, to their pursuit, and have come to the con- 



