Il8 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 



mals, the altitude at which it lives changes with the 

 changing season. 



One of the earliest spring sounds in the country 

 where the dusky grouse are found is the hooting of 

 the male, a booming or blowing sound analogous to 

 the grating song of the sage grouse or the tooting of 

 the pinnated grouse. The call possesses a certain ven- 

 triloquial quality, which makes it exceedingly difficult 

 to follow, and it is often hard to locate the bird that is 

 uttering it. A similar difficulty is usually found in 

 attempting to follow up the drumming of the ruffed 

 grouse. This call and the accompanying mating ac- 

 tions were well described by a correspondent, "Stand- 

 stead," in Forest and Stream twenty years ago. He 

 wrote : "While driving near the city. [Victoria, B. C] 

 with the veteran shot, R. Maynard, we saw a pair of 

 blue grouse quite near the trail, and the cock bird gave 

 us a most entertaining exhibition of the charms that he 

 displays in wooing his mate. Like a turkey cock he 

 strutted about with his wings trailing on the ground, 

 his tail feathers erect and spread out farf-like to their 

 fullest extent, his neck distended, and on each side of 

 his neck the feathers were turned out so as to resemble 

 a pair of round white rosettes, nearly three inches in 

 diameter, with an oblong red spot in their center, where 

 the skin of the neck was exposed. His head seemed 

 to be crowned with a fiery red comb. Excepting the 

 rosettes, he was in appearance a miniature turkey gob- 

 bler. Every few seconds he would strut up to his de- 

 mure but sleek-looking mate, puff out his neck and 



