THE RUFFED GROUSE. 155 



The Ruffed-grouse (Bonasa umbellus) in point of 

 size occupies a middle place between the Prairie-hen 

 and the Canada-grouse, and like the latter resides 

 entirely in thick coverts. There is, however, this dif- 

 ference between the habits of the two shade-seeking birds : 

 that while the one, as already described, inhabits only the 

 low-ground forests and thick spruce swamps, this as 

 invariably frequents the mountain woods. Still their 

 summer food is similar in nature to that of the other, 

 which lives exclusively on the bare plains and low 

 open scrub of the prairie, invariably avoiding the 

 timbered belts so common in those regions. Among 

 other berries and seeds, the Ruffed-grouse feeds largely 

 on those of the small Canadian cistus.* 



The plumage of the Ruffed-grouse is exceedingly 

 beautiful. The head, which is a yellowish-red, variegated 

 with dark brown and black, is ornamented with a crest. 

 The lower part of the neck on either side has a dark ruff 

 of long curved feathers, which can be erected at will, but 

 otherwise cover a bare space above the shoulders; the 

 back is a bright brown, finely dotted with white; the 

 tail, which contains eighteen feathers, being of a similar 

 colour, crossed with wavy lines of black, and having a 

 broad band of the same at the end; this band in the 



* Helianthemum Ganadense. 



