GROUSE. 125 



be safely said that they are not only the proudest, but the hand- 

 somest game bird on this Continent. 



Doubtless, in point of flavor and delicacy, the Ruffed Grouse may 

 be awarded the palm above all other birds of the gallinaceous tribe, 

 but on account of its extreme wariness and the almost impenetra- 

 ble nature of the grounds it frequents, its pursuit when no other 

 game is sought is accompanied by extreme labor and fatigue, re- 

 quiring likewise a thorough knowledge of its habits before even a 

 passable bag can be made. 



The wide extent of country which the Ruffed Grouse, (or, as 

 they will call it. Pheasant, in Pennsylvania, and Partridge in New 

 England), inhabits, causes it to be well known in almost eveiy 

 section of the United States, and there are few sportsmen who 

 have not toiled and been tantalized in its pursuit. Early in April 

 the cock grouse begins his wooing, and perched upon some fallen 

 log, commences his amatory drumming, calling to his side the un- 

 fortunate mate whose family duties he will soon refuse to share. 

 Unlike the quail, who assists his partner in hatching and rearing 

 her young, the Ruffed Grouse deserts his better half after she has 

 finished her nest and completed her laying, to seek the company 

 and enjoy the society of just such other lazy and selfish fellows 

 as himself; thus he leads a life of ease until his progeny have be- 

 come almost as large as the mother, when the packs of grass wid- 

 owers are broken up, and all mingle indiscriminately with the 

 broods of grown birds. By the middle of May the eggs are usu- 

 ally all deposited. For incubation the most retired situations are 

 chosen, such as an old stump, beneath an old log, or among 

 small bushes and very frequently in the angle of the worm fence 

 between the stakes. The hen lays from ten to fifteen eggs of a 

 dark yellowish color, often dotted with minute spots of bright red- 

 dish brown ; they are about the size of a bantam's &g^. The nest 

 is oftentimes robbed by the fox and crow, and other enemies that 

 are always on the alert for a spring meal. If the eggs are de- 

 stroyed the hen again seeks the company of the cock ; they build 

 a new nest and the hen lays about the same number of eggs. If 

 the eggs of the first nest are hatched, she does not lay again until 

 the following spring. 



The young birds leave their nest almost immediately, and will 



