162 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 
had prompted him to come to the edge and look down 
to discover the cause of the noise. Perceiving that my 
back was toward him he knew that I could not see him 
and so remained. Perhaps he had not seen enough of 
me to satisfy him, and when I turned around he knew 
I could not reach him. He had probably never been 
shot at and knew nothing of the power of the gun which 
I held in my hand, or of man’s ability to harm at a 
distance.” 
In a country where it is much pursued by man or 
dog, the ruffed grouse, if unexpectedly approached 
closely, is likely to walk or run away rather than to fly. 
A good grouse dog follows the trail of the bird slowly 
and not much faster than the bird itself can run. Those 
of us who have possessed good grouse dogs, which are 
always scarce enough, have often seen them leave the 
trail, make a wide circle and come up on the other side 
of the bird to head it off and stop it. Unless some- 
thing like this is done, the bird may readily enough 
be followed to the edge of the cover, where it will 
presumably take wing and disappear. If a dog is 
alone—especially if it be a dog of red or yellow color, 
suggesting a fox—the bird is likely merely to hop up 
on a limb well out of reach and remain there looking 
down at the enemy; but if a man follows the dog, the 
bird, if he gets into a tree, is likely to stand close to 
the tree trunk and remain absolutely motionless. 
Ruffed grouse are subject to more or less unex- 
plained periods of scarcity. During one season the 
woods will contain their usual number of the birds, and 
