210 PRAIRIE AND FOREST. 



bottom-lands that margin so many of the South-western 

 rivers, he is not to be found. No, rolling country and 

 hilly spurs are his home, where, deep in the shelter of the 

 laurel, cedar, hemlock, hazel, and birch, he can laugh at his 

 pursuers, unless they are the very quickest and best of shots. 

 But I allude to where he has known man, and learned to 

 dread his presence as ominous of evil; for when such is not 

 the case, if flushed, they are often satisfied to settle upon 

 the first tree in the neighborhood, regarding the intruder 

 with looks of wonder, and remain gratifying their excited 

 curiosity till the whole covey have been shot in detail. 

 Throughout Canada West they are numerous. At the 

 northern end of Lake Simcoe I found them very abundant, 

 also on the hill-sides that cradle in the lovely, peaceful 

 Lake Umbagog, in Oxford County, Maine; but Western 

 Maryland and Virginia are also favorite haunts in fact, it 

 may be found everywhere where wood, water, and hill-side 

 combine to form for it a suitable haunt, between thirty-two 

 and fifty degrees of north latitude. No. 6 shot I prefer for 

 shooting ruffed grouse, as from the nature of the ground 

 on which they are found, more birds are killed at short 

 range than at longer distances. 



The characteristics of the ruffed grouse make them bet- 

 ter adapted for a residence in England then the prairie-hen .; 

 and so strongly am I disposed in their favor, that I believe 

 if once introduced they would, as soon as known, outrival 

 the pheasant in popularity, being much hardier, swifter on 

 the wing, lying better to dogs, disinclined to run before 

 flushing, requiring the quickest and straightest aim to 

 bring them to bag : moreover, independent of these sport- 

 ing perfections, they are not much inferior to the Oriental 

 favorite in beauty of plumage. 



The ruffed grouse a little exceeds the red grouse of Scot- 

 land in size, being almost eighteen inches in length, is very 



