Ruffed Grouse 



291 



prefers undulating and hilly country, especially where it is well wooded and 

 covered with " considerable undergrowth, interspersed here and there with 

 cultivated fields and meadow lands." Naturally it is a rather tame and 

 unsuspicious bird, and when suitably protected is not an uncommon vis- 

 itor to the vicinity of human habitations, especially during winter, but the 

 ceaseless persecution that is waged against it has perforce made it exceed- 

 ingly shy and wary. Its flight, particularly as it launches forth, is sudden 

 and noisy, but when well under way it flies with great strength and swiftness. 

 On the approach of man it either seeks safety in rapid running, disappearing 

 like a flash among the tangled weeds and underbrush which it frequents, 

 or crouches motionless on the ground, with which its plumage so blends 

 as to make it invisible; and many a would-be sportsman, threading his 

 way noiselessly through the forest, has been so startled by the sudden rushing 

 forms springing from under his feet as to forget the object of his coming until 

 too late. In spite of the constant warfare of man, and the aggression of its 

 wild enemies, the foxes, weasels, minks, and the voracious members of its own 

 class, it manages to pretty well hold its own. An unusually severe winter 

 or a particularly wet, cold spring may reduce the numbers, but a succeeding 

 favorable season usually restores the equilibrium. They are generally resident 

 and nesting wherever found, usually mov- 

 ing about but little. In the southern por- 

 tions of its range, however, it frequents 

 mostly the higher mountain slopes, but in 

 fall or early winter often seeks the lower 

 levels. The members of a covey, if undis- 

 turbed, usually keep together for some time 

 after they are full grown, and have a low, 

 sharp call note that can be heard for only 

 a short distance. But one of the strongest 

 characteristics of the Ruffed Grouse is the 

 "drumming" of the male, a sound familiar 

 to every woodland lover within its range. 

 "This loud tattoo," says Thompson, "be- 

 gins with the increased thump of a big 

 drum, then gradually changes and dies 

 away in the rumble of the kettle-drum. It 



may be briefly represented thus: Thump thump thump thump, thump; 

 thump, thump-rup rup rup rup r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r." The manner in which the 

 sound is produced has been speculated upon, but it is now definitely settled 

 that it is by the rapid beating of the wings toward the body, and not against 

 a log as commonly supposed. The actual procedure has been quite frequently 

 described, but I venture to quote from Mr. W. C. Kendall, who observed one 

 drumming in northern Maine in the fall of 1901. He says: " A bird was heard 

 drumming. At first it was difficult to locate the source of the sound. He was 

 crouching or sitting crosswise of an old log, his head drawn down as if asleep. 



FIG. 97. Hazel Grouse, Tetrastes bo- 

 nus ia. 



