4IO Qicail and Grouse of the Pacific Coast 



you did not notice before, and do not notice now 

 until it is too late. Bang goes the first barrel, but 

 like a shaft of light the bird goes on, with the shot 

 hissing just over his back. Bang goes the second 

 barrel, with the shot both too high and behind, 

 while the brown line glides out of sight among 

 the trunks as swiftly and easily as the meteor 

 among the stars of night. 



THE DUSKY GROUSE 



The largest ground bird of the Pacific Coast 

 is the dusky grouse. It varies in size from a 

 pinnated grouse of medium size to a sharp-tailed 

 grouse of the largest. Its prevailing color is dark 

 brown, shading to black, threaded with wavy lines 

 of gray of somewhat bluish tinge. Underneath 

 it runs into white dashed with brown and black, 

 more or less finely mottled, especially about the 

 neck and throat. According to Dr. Coues it is 

 the same as the dusky or blue grouse of the 

 Rocky Mountains, "a large, cumbrous bird, usu- 

 ally displaying stolidity or indifference to the 

 presence of man, taking to trees when disturbed, 

 and very easily slaughtered." 



This description is a mistake as applied to the 

 grouse of this coast. It is large and also cum- 

 brous in flight compared with the ruffed grouse, 

 and generally alights in trees when disturbed. 

 But here it is anything but stolid or indifferent 



