The Canada Grouse 155 



man. In the winter it is bitter, and entirely un- 

 worthy of a place upon the table. Some people 

 claim to like it, but tastes are bound to differ. In 

 my opinion this grouse should never be shot, but 

 suffered to live out its gentle life in the grim old 

 woods, to which its presence lends the touch of 

 life too seldom seen. 



Its courtship presents some peculiarities which 

 cannot fail to interest the intelligent spectator. 

 The male struts as proudly as the grandest gob- 

 bler of barnyard or forest; his red combs show 

 erect and swollen, and he seems all puffed up with 

 pride and passion. Suddenly he leaps into the 

 air with wings whirring like electric fans, and for 

 a moment or two hovers as though fixed to the 

 spot, then slowly lowers himself. The sound of 

 the wings when he is thus engaged may be heard 

 at a considerable distance, but, like the whirring of 

 the true pheasant, it is ventriloquial, and difficult 

 to locate. The nest consists of a few leaves and 

 light stuff arranged with little care, frequently in the 

 shelter of a thick spruce. The number of eggs 

 varies from eight to about a dozen. The ground 

 color is buff, with irregular brownish marks. Only 

 one brood is raised in a season. The young be- 

 have like other youthful grouse, and the mother 

 displays an obstinate devotion seldom equalled, 

 bustling about one's feet, and almost attacking in 

 her nervous anxiety to draw the peril toward herself. 



