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PRAIRIE AND FOREST. 



from the seasons in the northern portion of the United 

 States and Canada being more backward than ours, if they 

 were introduced here they would do so a month earlier. 

 They lay from ten to sixteen eggs, their nest, which is a 

 very primitive one, being generally secreted in brush, or 

 under the shelter of a fallen log. They are most affectionate 

 parents, and use the same artifices as the wild duck to draw 

 away the intruders from the vicinity of their youthful progeny. 



RUFFED GROUSE. 



This grouse has two distinct calls, one a soft, mellow, pro- 

 longed note, generally used in gathering after the covey has 

 been broken up ; the other an extraordinary drumming 

 sound made by the cocks in the pairing season, and capa- 

 ble of being heard in still weather a great distance. The 

 latter noise is caused by the rapid vibration of the wings 

 when the male is perched on a fallen tree or stump. 



