The nifHed grouse, or " partridge, " as he is 

 often called, is a brave and hardy bird. Besides 

 the danger from hunters, he withstands the hunger 

 and cold of long winters with fortitude. 



Buried underneath the snow, he hears the savage 

 winter blizzards shrieking by, and when Nature's 

 mood has softened, he breaks his way to the open 

 air, and seeks his food. An old New England 

 cock grouse is a difHcult bird to bag. The meth- 

 ods followed in grouse hunting are similar to those 

 used in quail or pheasant shooting. The requisites 

 are, a good dog, and a knowledge of the habits of 

 the game. The habits of grouse are practically the 

 same wherever they are found ; so from the West- 

 em States to New England, the same tactics will 

 prove successful. Grouse are early feeders, and 

 rarely come into the open except at dawn or dusk. 

 Their food consists of larvae, insects, and different 

 kinds of grain. In winter, when hard pressed for 

 food, I liave found them in orchards, pecking the 

 remains of the apple-crop ; they also eat the tender 

 buds of different trees. 



Grouse like the sides of brush-covered hills ; 

 and the head of a brushy, well-watered ravine, is 

 a favorite spot. In thick cover they are difficult to 

 hit, and the hunter must be a good snap-shot to be 

 successful. In fact, all upland shooting is quick 

 shooting; the slow, methodical duck-hunter stands 

 a poor chance in the uplands. On the Pacific 

 slope, where the timber grows to a great height, 



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