RUFFED GROUSE PARTRIDGE !l6l 



ground twenty yards from us, escaping untouched, not- 

 withstanding the fact that three shots were fired at it. 



The grouse sometimes takes refuge in the snow in 

 cold weather, and is credited with diving into drifts at 

 nightfall and passing the night there. A friend walk- 

 ing through the deep snow along a little swale, through 

 which passed a brook, saw sticking up out of the snow 

 what he supposed was an odd-looking stick. He de- 

 clared to himself that it looked just like a partridge's 

 head, and when he had come within a few feet of the 

 place a bird rose out of the snow like a whirlwind and 

 flew away to a near-by swamp. 



No doubt these birds often inspect the gunner when 

 he is little aware of their observation. Dorp tells of a 

 case of that kind in the following words : 



"I turned to resume my walk, and as I did so I cast 

 my eyes upward, and there on a plateau covered with 

 moss and projecting nearly over me stood a ruffed 

 grouse looking intently down upon me. He was twelve 

 feet from me, as I afterward measured it. He was 

 partly turned sideways, with the neck stretched and 

 head bent down, and made a beautiful picture with 

 background of evergreen. 



"He remained motionless, as I did also, for about a 

 half minute, when he slowly turned and was quickly 

 lost to sight. This was the closest I remember ever to 

 have been to this wild bird in his native state when 

 seen. I have been closer, but then I did not know it 

 until he flew. 



"This bird had heard me walking and his curiosity 



