CANADA GROUSE. lOi 



winter. The Spruce Grouse is found usually in small 

 flocks consisting generally of one family, but also old 

 males are frequently met with alone, and I have always 

 regarded it as a bird that was rather fond of solitude. 

 Frequently, even in autumn, when the nights were be- 

 coming frosty, and snow flurries would hide the sun by 

 day, heralding the coming winter, I have seen an old 

 male, in the recesses of a swamp, strut about with ruffled 

 feathers and trailing wings, as if the air were balmy and 

 mild and spring were at hand to awaken in his breast the 

 all-controlling passion of love, instead of being near the 

 freezing point. He may have been going over the per- 

 formance to keep himself in practice, or to impress me, 

 possibly, with a proper sense of his own importance, for 

 all his movements were calm and dignified in the ex- 

 treme, and there was not the slightest evidence of fear, or 

 of his being in any way incommoded by such an unim- 

 portant event as my presence. 



I have never known the Canada Grouse to assemble 

 together in large numbers or " pack " as it is called in 

 the Western States, and if this has ever happened, it 

 would be, I should imagine, a very unusual occurrence, 

 and a large number of birds would find it very difficult 

 to obtain sufficient food in any one locality even for a 

 day. 



The mating season begins in April, sometimes in the 

 far north May is the earliest month, and at this time the 

 male appears to the greatest advantage, and no Turkey 

 Gobbler, in all his magnificence of gleaming scarlet and 

 gold, is a prouder creature than this small Grouse. He 

 tries by every means in his power to attract attention to 

 himself and gain the admiration of anybody that is look- 

 ing at him, whether it be the object of his affections, the 

 demure and quiet little hen, or perchance his mortal 



