THE CANADA GROUSE. Ill 



that day. The red man accompanied the Nimrod of the 

 expedition, whose idea was to attack nothing of less im- 

 portance than a bear, and as the animal was abundant 

 enough in the country, we surmised that he would not 

 come home without one, unless bruin took him home. 



When we left camp we took our bearings in the most 

 careful manner, for fear of getting lost, for a trackless 

 forest looks so much alike that even the most experienced 

 backwoodsman would not recognize one part from an- 

 other, except by some special marks which he impresses 

 on his mind, and from which he shapes his course. 



I learned the use of the terrier soon after starting, for 

 we had hardly entered the depths of the forest before he 

 dashed away, and a minute later we heard his sharp and 

 vehement barking. '' Grrouse," exclaimed my compan- 

 ion, as he ran ahead, and I after him. We had little dif- 

 ficulty in finding the dog, as he kept up a steady series 

 of yelps, which expressed as plainly as yelps could: 

 "Here they are; I've got them." When we espied him 

 he Avas wildly waltzing around a tree, looking upwards, 

 and giving tongue m the most excited manner. We 

 peered among the branches for a minute or more, but 

 beheld nothing except what seemed to be knots on the 

 branches. Knowing that the birds were in the tree, 

 nevertheless, I fired at what seemed to be a knot on a 

 branch about sixty feet above me, for the jaurpose 

 of making the fugitives reveal themselves, but my sur- 

 prise may be imagined when a splendid male of the 

 Franklin variety of the Canada grouse came tumbling 

 down as dead as a door nail. As soon as he touched the 

 ground the terrier began to mouth him, and to bark vio- 

 lently, as if he were delighted with the capture. My 

 companion fired at another supposed knot, and bagged 

 a hen, evidently a mother. This induced us to fire at 

 any prominent protuberance we saw, and we were re- 

 warded for our labor by bagging four brace before the 



