21 8 The Grouse Family 



One day I was watching an old male which had 

 taken up a position upon an almost bare knoll. 

 It was before the open season, a very idle period 

 on the plains; so, partly to pass away time, and 

 partly in the hope of discovering something, the 

 field-glass was brought into play. Before the 

 bird had been thoroughly scrutinized, some fal- 

 con, which looked like a male peregrine, shot into 

 the field of vision, and made a vicious stoop at the 

 huge quarry. Whether or no the grouse had been 

 watching the hawk is impossible to say, but in any 

 event he was ready. As the hawk was almost 

 upon him, up went the long tail, down went the 

 head, and the wings were a trifle raised. Most 

 readers, probably, have seen a man hump his 

 back and get his shoulders about his ears when 

 he expected to be struck from behind by a snow- 

 ball. The action and attitude of the grouse were 

 comically suggestive of that very thing. The hawk 

 appeared to be only fooling, for certainly it made 

 no determined strike, but presently rose and curved 

 away. An instant later the grouse took wing. 



Hardly had it got squared away, before the dis- 

 tant hawk wheeled and gave chase at amazing 

 speed. It was a grand race, but the pursuer was 

 fierce and fleet, and he rapidly overhauled his 

 game. I could hear the grouse cackling as though 

 in terror, and the small size of the foe was so ridicu- 

 lous in comparison with the burly game, that I 



