Familiar Studies of Wild Birds 



trunks, and the trees looked as if they had been 

 daubed with red paint. As I was about to 

 move on a low clucking behind announced the 

 approach of a ruffed grouse, and I turned my 

 head slowly to observe him out of the corner 

 of my eye. He was not alarmed at my mo- 

 tionless figure, but somewhat disturbed and 

 curious. He took a few steps forward, while 

 his mate some paces behind clucked warningly ; 

 then a few more steps forward, a hasty retreat, 

 another advance; but finally deciding on the 

 safe course, he returned over the hill. During 

 this, the drumming season, grouse are to be 

 found along streams "budding" in the willow 

 trees. Slate-colored birds flashed their white 

 outer tail feathers and followed me through the 

 woods with their sucking intonations. Some 

 of them would nest in the dunes, others in the 

 far northern lands of Labrador and Alaska. 

 The crows were wasting a lot of time badger- 

 ing their ancient enemy, for they never do 



