XI 



THE RUFFED GROUSE 



THE ruffed-grouse is the bird, as I have observed, 

 so often called partridge in New England, and 

 pheasant in the West and South. It is one of the most 

 beautiful of the birds having protective markings ; and 

 here I may say, for the benefit of the non-ornithological 

 reader, that the birds protectively marked are the birds 

 whose plumage harmonizes with their surroundings, so 

 as to render them invisible to their enemies, and these 

 birds all trust much to concealment. Protectively 

 marked game birds are usually of a brown or gray 

 color, variously marked with yellowish-tan and black 

 and white. 



The ruffed-grouse is a very handsome bird of trim 

 outline, alert and game-like in appearance, brown and 

 gray, but effectively marked with velvety black and 

 white, which contrast well with brown and gray tones. 

 The broad band across the tail and the long silken 

 feathers which form the ruff are glossy black. On the 

 back are arrow-head or heart-shaped spots of light 

 gray. The legs are covered with feathers (the distin- 

 guishing mark of the grouse) of brownish white. 

 The ruffed-grouse has long been called the " king of 

 game birds." When the ruffed-grouse struts and 

 drums, he elevates his tail (which is spread out like a 

 fan) and the black ruff about his neck, and as he pran- 



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