146 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 



from the log. After drumming- he settles quietly down 

 into a sitting posture and remains silently listening for 

 five or ten minutes, when, if no cause for alarm is dis- 

 covered, he repeats the process/' 



Mr. Ernest E. Thompson, in his "Birds of Mani- 

 toba," describes the drumming as he saw it. It is said 

 that if, during the drumming, another male grouse 

 makes its appearance near the drumming place, the 

 birds fight with much spirit. An account of such a bat- 

 tle is given by a correspondent of Forest and Stream, 

 who writes from Schenectady, New York, and signs 

 himself "Dorp." He says, in substance: 



"I was walking along a country road, about the first 

 of June, when I heard from the depths of an adjacent 

 wood an unusual rustling sound for which I could not 

 account. The sound stopped, began again, again 

 stopped, and was repeated at intervals of a minute or 

 two. Not knowing what caused the sound, I crossed 

 the fence and cautiously approached the place. After 

 I had gone about fifty yards, screening myself as much 

 as possible behind trees, I came up to within twenty 

 yards of a large dead log, upon which stood two ruffed 

 grouse in battle array. They stood something like six 

 feet from each other, with the black feathers around 

 their necks raised till they almost pointed toward their 

 heads, which were lowered, and which they were shak- 

 ing at each other in defiance. In a few moments they 

 gradually approached each other, and when about two 

 feet apart they rushed together, the momentum and 

 their wings carrying them into the air about a foot 



