52 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



ever there was a space of open ground. They were in 

 their white winter plumage, and were remarkable for 

 their tameness ; for when I shot one the others flew but 

 a short distance, and sometimes only a few yards, so that 

 I generally managed to make a pretty fair bag. The so- 

 called partridge also remained here all the winter, but did 

 not change its plumage. This bird was even tamer than 

 the ptarmigan ; for often when I shot one as it sat on a 

 tree, its companions would only fly a little distance and 

 then come back to look down upon it, as it lay on the 

 ground, with an inquiring air, so that I have sometimes 

 shot five or six from one tree. Other species of grouse 

 are almost equally tame ; but they become wild enough 

 when the breeding season and summer approach. During 

 the winter I on several occasions met with the ruffed 

 grouse (Bonasa umhellus) in considerable numbers. On 

 the 17 th March I shot nine brace in about four hours. 

 There were at least two other species of grouse shot during 

 the winter. The partridge (Canachites Canadensis of the 

 English, or Dendragapus Canadensis of American orni- 

 thologists) and the rufifed grouse both breed in this 

 neighbourhood. They nest quite early, before the snow 

 has entirely disappeared. I took the eggs of both in 

 April. Those of the ruffed grouse were placed amidst 

 rough, scrubby vegetation in a rocky place, were nine 

 in number, of a buffy colour with a few specks of light 

 brown, and were so well concealed that if the hen had sat 

 close instead of flying off I should not have discovered 

 them. 



The Canadian partridge, also, does not make a nest, 

 but the herbage is trod down, or flattc ned, in a circular 

 shape, at the foot of a tree or under a bush, if not in the 

 woods at least whore there are plenty of trees. I believe 

 they lay nine or ten eggs, but the number which I took 

 was six in one clutch, seven in another. The eggs were 

 a deep buff colour, thickly speckled and spotted with large 

 spots of rich brown. 



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