242 FRANK forester's FIELD SPORTS. 



findins;- themselves unable to run, and will lie, on such occa- 

 sions, till they are literally kicked up. 



I have never, in all my experience of shooting in this coun- 

 try, seen this occur but twice ; and in fact the bird is so seldom 

 found in lowland country, that I consider it utterly useless to 

 go out in pursuit of Ruffed Grouse, except as an adjunct with 

 other birds of bolder and freer wing. 



One of the instances I have alluded to above, is perhaps not 

 unworthy of notice, as I believe it to be almost unique ; for I 

 have met no sportsman who has seen any thing of the sort 

 occur with the Ruffed Grouse, though with the Prairie Hen it 

 often happens. It occurred during early autumn shooting, on 

 the second or third of November, immediately after the law of 

 New-Jersey permits this bird and the Quail to be shot ; and 

 Woodcock had not as yet forsaken the country. I was beating 

 for game in general, but rather with a view to Cock than any 

 other bird, in a long, narrow swale, between a steep ridge and 

 an open meadow, along the edge of which my companion was 

 walking, while I myself made good the whole Avidth of the 

 alder coppice with my dogs. Suddenly both the Setters came 

 to a dead point at a small patch of thick briai-s and brambles 

 close to the meadow fence, and, on my walking up to them, 

 finding that nothing moved, I took it for granted that it was a 

 Hare, and called out to my friend to look out, as I would beat 

 it out to him. On kicking the briars, however, to my great 

 sui-prise a very fine Ruffed Grouse, a cock bird, rose within 

 ten feet of me, and flew directly across me toward the hill. 

 Unfortunately, my friend fired at the bird across me, contraiy 

 to all i-ules of sportsmanship, so that two charges were wasted 

 on this bird ; for immediately, at the report, three more birds 

 rose out of the same brake, two of which flew across him over 

 the open meadow, both of which he must have killed had he 

 reserved his fire, as he should have done, while the third follow- 

 ed the cock across the swale to the ridge, till I stopped him. 



Taking it for granted that all the birds must have gone now, 

 four barrels having been fired directly over the thicket in which 



