THE RUFFED GEOUSE, 163 



attention to the ethics of gunning, but bangs away at it, 

 and congratulates himself if he places it in his bag. One 

 of the greatest essentials to success in pursuing ruifed 

 grouse is to keep a strict silence, and have a good steady 

 dog that will work slowly and cautiously, and be satisfied 

 to point on catching even a faint odor, No high-met- 

 tled, fast ranger will do, as the birds will not lie to him, 

 except in the early portion of the season, and not very 

 well then; and late in the autumn it is a very difficult 

 matter for a dog to get near enough to a group to enable 

 the fowler to shoot with any assured degree of success, 

 so that he must be satisfied to take shots at all distances. 

 Spaniels would, evidently, be well adapted to their pur- 

 suit, and so would setters trained on snipe, as this bird 

 gives steadiness to any dog in a short time. Pointers 

 are not fitted for this rough work, as they are too 

 fast and nervous, and their thin coating cannot stand 

 the briars and tangled shrubbery, and the heavy showers 

 of dew or rain which the undergrowth pours down when 

 disturbed by a shaking. 



This grouse seems to be somewhat indiscriminate in its 

 choice of roosting places, being equally at home on a fallen 

 log, a tree, a fence, and even the ground. It seeks shelter 

 in the highest trees, or tke snow, during the winter, being 

 rarely found roosting on logs. Some persons say it can 

 swim well, but this, I should fancy, was a mistake. It 

 is a general belief that adult males seldom leave the vi- 

 cinity of their favorite drumming logs, unless they have 

 been shot at a great deal, and that they return to them 

 at the earliest opportunity. One reason for this belief 

 is, that the excrementary deposits near the logs are large, 

 and that the bark is well worn away where the birds 

 parade. 



Two varieties of the ruffed grouse have been found on 

 the Pacific Coast, but they differ from the typical species 

 only in a slight degree, principally in color, and that, no 



