48 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



have succeeded in rearing her brood in safety. None of the eggs in the 

 nest touclifd cadi other; they were all about half covered or imbedded 

 in the material out of which the nest was made dry grass, pine and fir 

 needles, and a few of the bird's feathers, presumably plucked out by herself." 



A very good description of the booming or hooting of the Sooty Grouse 

 is published in Forest and Stream, May 23, 1889, by a correspondent signing 

 himself "Stanstead." The article was sent from Vancouver Island, British 

 Columbia, May 4, an extract from which reads as follows: "While driving near 

 the city with the veteran shot, R. Maynard, we saw a pair of Blue Grouse 

 quite near the trail, and the cock bird gave us a most entertaining exhibition 

 of the charms that he displays in wooing his mate. Like a turkey cock he 

 strutted about with his wings trailing on the ground, his tail feathers erect 

 and spread out faulike to their fullest extent, his neck distended, and on each 

 side of his neck the feathers were turned out so as to resemble a pair of round 

 white rosettes, nearly 3 inches in diameter, with an oblong red spot in their 

 center where the skin of the neck was exposed. His head seemed to be 

 crowned with a fiery red comb. Excepting the rosettes, he was in appearance 

 a miniature turkey-gobbler. Every few seconds he would strut up to his 

 demure but sleek-looking mate, puff out his neck, and with a jerky movement 

 of his head, utter his boom or hoot, 'boom, boom, boom.' As he grew more and 

 more demonstrative in his actions, his modest mate flew up to an overhanging 

 limb to escape his familiarities, and we drove away, leaving him still strutting 

 on the ground underneath the tree where his mate sat perched. The comb, I 

 should judge, was produced by the spots over the eyes becoming enlarged and 

 inflamed with passion." 



According to the observations made by Capt. T. E. Wilcox, assistant sur- 

 geon U. S. Army, in the vicinity of Lake Chelan, Washington, in the latter part 

 of August, 1883, the Sooty Grouse will pack at times and gather in large 

 coveys, though not to the same extent as the Pinnated and Sharp-tailed Grouse. 

 He also writes me: "I once caught an old Grouse with a fishhook. I had my 

 rod on my shoulder and suddenly came upon a covey, about the size of 

 Quails, and caught one with my hands. This made the old bird frantic; she 

 attacked me, and alighting on my rod, the hook pierced her foot. I was pulling 

 her in, when my leader broke and she flew off. Of course I released her 

 chicken. I killed a male in the Boise Mountains, December 2, 1879, which 

 weighed 3 pounds 10 ounces, but some killed by me in the Cascade Mountains 

 seemed to be much larger. While on Lake Chelan in 1883, hunting white 

 goats, I Hushed a covey of Grouse, and here heard for the first time the call note 

 of the female for her young. It was low, but distinct, something like that by 

 the Bob White, just before it flushes. At this time, last of August, the birds 

 were well grown. I have always found these birds near water. In 1881, while 

 going to Indian Valley, Idaho, I rode past some, one being near enough to 

 touch with a switch I had in my hand, yet they all walked out of the trail as 

 quietly as domestic fowls would have done, and then resumed their dusting." 



