Bonasa Umbellus, Rex. 23 



and not return for a long week ? No one 

 will ever know whether she purposely 

 stepped upon the small dead stick that 

 snapped and revealed her presence just 

 then, but who is prepared to deny a motive 

 for the seemingly accidental movement 

 of a dumb animal on such an occasion. 



She was discovered and he was by her 

 side. Coyly she stepped away from him, 

 and then to gain further admiration, 

 which was all unnecessary, he spread his 

 great barred tail widely over his back, un- 

 folded the iridescent black ruffs until they 

 concealed his shoulders, dropped his 

 curved wing-tips to the ground, elevated 

 his pointed crest, and with curved neck cir- 

 cled and pirouetted about her, nodding 

 his head, fixing his strong, bold eye upon 

 her modest one, and stepping in front of 

 her to head off retreat, in such an exas- 

 perating way that it seemed as though she 

 certainly would scream. 



He would not have made any such pre- 

 tentious movements if other cock grouse 

 had been about to criticise him, and how 

 the other hen grouse would have been 



