GROUSE. 211 



* 



The locality to which the cock resorts at such times is either on a level rock in some 

 opening of the forest, or on the upper branches of a pine. Here he begins his per- 

 formances by first uttering a note something like pellep repeated once or twice at 

 intervals, and he is then on the watch for any enemy, as is also the case when he 

 sounds his second note kliskop, resembling a gulp in the throat. But while emitting 

 the third and last sound hede! fade! hede! the head is thrown backwards, the neck 

 waves to and fro, the tail is raised at right angles to the body, the wings quiver, and 

 the excited bird either pirouettes upon his perch, or slides sideways along the branch. 

 At this moment, it is asserted, he is both deaf and blind, and knows nothing of what 

 is going on about him, of which fact the hunter takes advantage to approach near for 

 a successful shot. This play, or ' spel ' as it is called, is frequently repeated, and the 

 hens, on hearing the call, assemble from all points, and alight near him, often on the 

 same tree. A little before sunrise the performer descends to some open spot, where 

 the hens collect about him, and between the intervals of the ' spel,' which is still con- 

 tinued, he pairs with each member of his harem. Young cocks are not permitted to 

 ' spel ' in the presence of the old males, but are speedily driven away should any ven- 

 ture to approach. The cocks fight with great fierceness during the breeding season, 

 springing high in the air and striking with their wings and claws, and endeavoring to 

 seize each other with their bills, and, when successful in this effort, the weaker is held 

 down to the ground and severely punished. The female scrapes a hole beneath some 

 tree or bush, and lays from five to fifteen eggs, of a yellowish color spotted with light 

 brown, and incubation lasts, it is said, for one month. The young remain with the 

 mother until the next winter. The male capercaili greatly exceeds the female in size 

 and weight, individuals sometimes turning the scale at twelve and thirteen pounds. 

 The upper parts are blackish-brown, each feather mottled with grayish ; the feathers 

 of the throat are elongated and black ; breast black with green reflections ; flanks 

 brownish-gray sprinkled with black ; under tail-coverts black, tipped witli white ; the 

 tail black. The female is reddish-brown, barred and blotched with black ; sides of the 

 neck, throat, and breast rich orange, barred with black on the neck ; lower parts pale 

 orange, feathers tipped with white ; tail reddish-brown, barred with blackish-brown. 



The ruffed-grouse, so called from its possessing tufts of numerous wide soft 

 feathers on each side of the neck, which the bird is capable of elevating, with its allies 

 of both hemispheres, is distinguished from all other grouse by having the lower part of 

 the legs bare of feathers, and constitute the genus Bonasa. The American species 

 consist of the B. umbeUus and its two sub-species or varieties, which are distributed 

 throughout the northern United States and Vancouver Island. The Rocky Mountain 

 form has been designated B. umbelloides, and is a small gray bird with rather different 

 markings from the typical style, and a small ruff, while the variety of the west coast, 

 known as B. sabinei, is a large bird of a general dark orange-chestnut color. All the 

 forms delight in woods and dense thickets, are extremely shy, rise with a great 

 whirring noise, fly straight and swiftly. They roost in trees, and, when disturbed, take 

 refuge among the thickest foliage and remain perfectly motionless. The nest is 

 placed upon the ground, composed of leaves and plants, and the eggs, ten or more in 

 number, are yellowish or cream color, spotted with dull red. The male has a singular 

 habit called 'drumming,' which is indulged in at various seasons of the year. He 

 stands upon a trunk of some fallen tree, and, stretching himself into a horizontal posi- 

 tion, beats stiffly downwards with his wings, slowly at first, increasing the strokes 

 until they become so rapid that the wings are invisible. This produces a loud rolling 



