288 Sporting Sketches 



in a comparatively open spot will dart like a feathered 

 cannon-ball for the nearest cover, or if near a big 

 tree, he will whisk behind the trunk, and, keeping 

 it between himself and the gun, buzz away to safety. 

 Flushed halfway up some hillside a favorite 

 haunt he will slant downward at an electric clip, 

 offering an exceedingly difficult mark. At certain 

 seasons he is found in outlying thickets, frequently 

 at a considerable distance from the woods proper. 

 Under such conditions he trusts to his speed as he 

 hums away to the saving trees, but at the same time 

 he seldom forgets to take every advantage of the lay 

 of the cover, scant though it may be. His golden 

 rule seems to be : " Start precisely when the man is 

 sure you won't, go as fast as you can without actually 

 setting yourself afire, and get everything that will 

 stop shot between yourself and the gun." 



The one serious weakness in the grouse's system 

 of defensive tactics is his habit of treeing when 

 flushed by a dog. This is an interesting point, as 

 it strikingly illustrates the folly of sticking to old- 

 fashioned methods after improvements have been 

 introduced, and also that folly of all follies under- 

 estimating the ability of your opponent, ^ons on 

 aeons ago the grouse developed that trick of going 

 to a tree to avoid peril terrestrial, and no doubt it 

 considered itself a very smart bird. At that time, 

 strangely enough, its two winning cards in the game 

 of life and death were taking to a tree and leaving a 

 tree. Being a bud-eater, at certain seasons the 

 grouse naturally sought the trees for food. Among 

 the branches it was comparatively safe from quadru- 

 peds, although some of its foes were clever climbers. 



