The Ruffed Grouse 113 



fully made include all of these. To the drum- 

 ming-place the bird will return day after day, 

 sometimes for more than one season. Most coun- 

 try boys know where is a drumming-log. 



When inclined to drum, the male mounts the 

 log, or whatever it may be, and for a time moves 

 to and fro, peering this way and that and ap- 

 parently listening intently. While so doing his 

 plumage presents a loosely ruffled appearance, 

 his wings half-trailing, his tail half-spread. Pres- 

 ently he puffs himself up, throws his head far back, 

 elevates his beautiful fan of a tail and spreads it 

 to the complete semicircle. He is now in the 

 pose of a strutting gobbler, or peacock, and he 

 looks somewhat like a brown fantail pigeon. The 

 tufts on his neck are elevated and spread, the 

 wings are trailing, and he struts, sometimes with 

 a quick forward movement like a gobbler, occa- 

 sionally merely turning this way and that, like 

 a peacock, this whenever what he is on affords 

 scant room for evolutions. Next, the head is 

 thrust forward to the full length of the neck, the 

 tail is partially closed and lowered almost to the 

 level of the back, and he assumes the position of 

 a cock upon a fence the instant before starting to 

 crow. Then the wing-beats begin — at first slow 

 and measured, then quicker and quicker until the 



separate beats are lost, thus: Buff buff 



buff buff— buff— buff— buff -bu£f-burr-r-r-r! 



