156 TETRAONID.E : GROUSE. 



her little ones hidden from threatened danger before 

 she thinks of her own safety, and her courage in such 

 an emergency will even lead her to risk her own life in 

 their defence. In our country, as well as generally in 

 northern portions of the range of this Grouse, one brood 

 seems to be all that the birds can successfully produce 

 and rear as a rule ; for the chicks grow tardily, and are 

 not off their parents' hands till well toward the waning 

 summer ; so that the broods of callow young found un- 

 usually late in the season are probably to be accounted 

 for by some accident to the happy course of domestic 

 affairs early in the season. 



The flesh of this bird is white, and good for the table. 

 The Grouse ranks high as a game bird in the estimation 

 of some sportsmen, but its pursuit is attended with 

 great uncertainty and difficulty, except in localities 

 where the birds are very abundant. It is very fatiguing to 

 follow them in their fastnesses of swamp and tangle ; they 

 behave before a dog with more regard to their own ideas 

 than to the wishes of their would-be destroyers ; they 

 get up with startling suddenness, and fly off with amaz- 

 ing celerity; altogether their instinct of self-preserva- 

 tion is " functionally developed " to a high rate of 

 efficiency, as a physiologist might say, and they would 

 be still more numerous did not these very qualities 

 stimulate the ardor of the sportsman to their ceaseless 

 persecution. Being robust, hardy birds, much more so 

 than Partridges, they stand our hard winters well, prob- 

 ably very seldom freezing to death or getting snowed up 

 to their destruction, accidents to which the smaller and 

 more delicate Partridges are frequently exposed in our 

 latitudes. Having an extensive and varied bill of fare, 

 in numerous small fruits, both hard and soft, in season, 



