THE DUSKY GEOUSE. 127 



best way of finding the retreat of this feathered ventrilo- 

 quist is to listen to his calling long enough to enable one 

 to locate the spot from which it issues. This frequently 

 requires time and patience, and a diligent scanning of 

 the trees. Owing to his darkish hue and his habit of re- 

 maining immovable on a branch, a man may search for 

 a long time before recognizing him, as he looks like a 

 large knot at a distance. The mates readily find one 

 another, however, and never, so far as my experience 

 goes, fail in immediately detecting each other's retreat. 

 I have seen the female fly to the tree in which lier gal- 

 lant was established, as soon as he commenced piping his 

 lay; yet I could not tell from what direction his calls 

 came, and I would never have known, in all probability, 

 were it not for the flight of the hen. 



This species, like the others, nests on the ground, the 

 eggs being of a creamy hue, speckled with chocolate 

 brown. The mother is dutiful and painstaking, and as 

 good a provider of food as she can well be, but she does 

 not manifest such alarm about her brood as the ruifed 

 grouse, nor does she employ any of the stratagems of the 

 latter in leading the enemy away from them. She takes 

 very little notice of man at any time, and should he 

 catch one of her chicks, she would merely walk about 

 anxiously, and cluck her fears, much as a domestic hen 

 does. When the young are about three months old they 

 are delicious eating, but they do not afford much sport, 

 owing to their tameness, for they will allow a dog to ap- 

 proach them to within a few feet before they fly away. 

 Even when treed, a brood will stand firing until all are 

 killed, especially if the lower ones are shot first. I have 

 known fifteen of them to be bagged on a public road be- 

 fore the remainder became wise enough to retreat out of 

 range. Both old and young live on berries, nuts, seeds, 

 insects, and grain during the summer and autumn, and on 

 the buds of fir, pine, and spruce trees in winter and early 



