THE CANADIAN HUFFED GROUSE. 65 



thought of the wounded bird almost within his reach; a few more bounds and 

 his meal will be secured. So he springs and springs, and very nearly catches 

 her, and in his excitement he is led on, and away, till finally the. bird flies off, 

 leaving him a quarter of a mile or more from the nest. 



"If instead of eggs the Partridge has chicks, she does not await the com- 

 ing of the enemy, but runs to meet and mislead him ere yet he is in the 

 neighborhood of the brood; she then leads him far away, and returning by 

 a circuitous route, gathers her young together again by her clucking. When 

 surprised she utters a well-known danger signal, a peculiar whine, whereupon 

 the young ones hide under logs and among grass. Many persons say they will 

 each seize a leaf in their beaks and then turn over on their backs. I have 

 never found any support for this idea, although I have often seen one of the 

 little creatures crawl under a dead leaf. On July 3, 1884, while exploring in 

 the Carberry spruce bush, Manitoba, with a friend, we passed a tree at whose 

 roots was a Partridge's nest, but we would not have discovered it had not the 

 mother pursued us some 20 feet and begun a vigorous attack on our legs, 

 whereupon we turned and found the nest. It was just at that critical moment 

 when the young were coming out. Those that were hatched, some six or 

 eight, hid so effectually within a space of 6 feet that no sign of them could 

 be seen. After their first rush, and once hidden, they ceased their plaintive 

 'peeping' and maintained a dead silence. Meanwhile, the mother was sorely 

 distressed, running about our feet with drooping wings, whining grievously, in 

 such entire forgetfulness of herself and in such agony of anxiety for her young, 

 that the hardest hearted must have pitied her and have felt constrained to 

 leave her in peace, as we did." 



Mr. Manly Hardy states: "The young run as soon as they chip the egg. 

 If disturbed when only a few days old, the hen immediately flies at the 

 intruder, making a loud noise, often striking him in the face or breast. The 

 young usually drop where they are, remaining- perfectly motionless. The 

 parent throws herself on her breast and kicks herself along with her feet, aided 

 by her spread wings, making a loud squealing noise. She goes just fast 

 enough so that the pursuer can not quite get his hand on her, recovering, in 

 a rod or two, to seem only broken-winged, and a short distance further on sud- 

 denly darting off. If one keeps quiet, in a short time she returns to the vicinity 

 ;ind calls her chicks, who come out of their hiding places and rejoin her. I 

 have once seen the old cock with the brood, and on this occasion he gallantly 

 defended the rear, until the rest made good their escape. He stood with 

 wings raised and tail spread, ready to fight the intruder. I have seen the 

 voung fly into a tree when still in the yellow down; and when not larger than 

 a Pine Grosbeak they will fly long distances, giving the alarm note of 'quit, 

 quit,' just like an old bird. The young, a few days old, are shyer than the 

 wariest adults. The noise made by the Ruffed Grouse in flying 'is made on 

 purpose 1 to alarm others in the vicinity; they can fly as quietly as any bird 



if they choose. 



26957 Bull. 1 5 



