60 FIELD SHOOTING. 



was the father of her young ones. Albinos of the 

 grouse species are sometimes seen, but those 

 above referred to were not at all like Albinos. 

 There is a very beautiful specimen of the Albino 

 at the Grand Central Hotel at Omaha, and the 

 supposed hybrids did not resemble it in the least. 

 1 was informed that this brood of spangled grouse 

 or hybrids were exceptionally wild. But for all 

 that most of them were shot, though but two pre- 

 served. These birds are still to be seen at Omaha, 

 and it might be well for a scientific naturalist to 

 examine them. 



The game-law of Illinois allows the shooting 

 of grouse to commence on the fifteenth of Au- 

 gust, and in some States it is suffered to begin 

 as early as the first of that month. Both these 

 dates are too early. The first of September would 

 be quite soon enough, and most sportsmen would 

 prefer that date. As the law now stands, nearly 

 all begin to shoot early ; for as some will do so, it 

 cannot be expected that many others will refrain. 

 On the fifteenth of August some broods of grouse 

 are full grown, but the great majority are not, 

 and many broods are not more than half grown, 

 while some are so small as to be almost unable 

 to fly. These are the broods of birds whose first 



