412 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 
of the prairie by hundreds at a time, after which they 
disperse. Their wariness at this time is extreme; and 
the slightest indication of the approach of man, even 
at a great distance, is noticed by the cock, who, perched 
on the topmost twig, elongates his neck and peeps first 
on one side and then on the other with the most pro- 
voking caution. How often have I been foiled, when, 
after the most cautious approach, either in serpent 
fashion like the Indian, dragging myself through the 
grass inch by inch, or in an upright position striving 
to counterfeit a tree stump, never stirring till the sen- 
tinel looked another way, and then, by imperceptible 
approaches and five more feet in five more minutes, 
would I approach the tree within range—the careful 
bird began to grow more and more doubtful and rest- 
less and finally set up that clear, tremulous crow which 
said: ‘There’s a rogue with a gun almost within shot,’ 
as plainly as though he had spoken English. The in- 
stant and complete dispersion of the whole covey to a 
great distance would be the immediate consequence.” 
SHARP-TAILED GROUSE SHOOTING 
Except for the seasonal movements already mention- 
ed, the sharp-tailed grouse is very local in habit. Half 
a dozen pairs of these grouse will build their nests and 
hatch their young along three or four miles of prairie 
stream, or the dry ravines which lead down to it. 
Mother and young will spend the summer on a range 
of prairie covering less than a square mile, and there, 
