GROUSE AND OTHER LAND BIRDS 287 



bird we got. But we surely heard a dozen or 

 more rising. I was simply astonished that such 

 a bird could be so shy. When I came back here 

 and told the natives about my experience, they 

 thought I was pulling the long bow. I believe it 

 will take many years before our birds get so high 

 ly educated. 



I have shot since that time in the vicinity of 

 Three Eivers and at St. Raymond, near Quebec, 

 and although the birds are considerably shot at 

 and treed with dogs, I found them just about as 

 tame as here. During the close season I heard 

 that lots were snare'd in the way I have described, 

 and also by setting snares on the ground, the 

 absence of any noise making it difficult to detect 

 the poachers. Half grown birds were also killed 

 and eagerly bought up by the leading hotels, 

 where they would appear on the bill of fare as 

 imported quail or something similar. 



Of all the above species the willow ptarmigan 

 is by far the most abundant, and of considerable 

 value as an article of food during its years of 

 passage. It is an irregular migrant, in this wise, 

 that it does not come regularly every season, like 

 most other birds, and sometimes we may be three 

 or four years without seeing any. I have gath- 

 ered considerable data on this subject and I find 

 that about every tenth year is one of great abun- 

 dance. Here are some of the dates : 

 1863 and 1864 Extremely abundant. 



