THE PRAIRIE HEN. 



UTTALL savs that, choosincr 

 particular districts for resi- 

 dence, this species of Grouse 

 is far less common than 

 its Ruffed relative. It 

 is often called Prairie Chicken and 

 Pinnated Grouse. Confined to dry, 

 barren, and bushy tracts of small 

 extent, these birds are in many places 

 now wholly or nearly exterminated. 

 They are still met with on the Grouse 

 plains ofNew Jersey, on Long Island, in 

 parts of Connecticut, and in the Island 

 of Martha's Vineyard. Mr. Nuttall 

 was informed that they were so com- 

 mon on the ancient bushy site of the 

 city of Boston that laboring people 

 or servants stipulated with their em- 

 ployers not to have the Heath Hen 

 brought to table often er than a few 

 times in the week. They are still 

 common in the western states, but 

 thirty years ago we saw vast numbers 

 of them on the plains of Kansas. As 

 there were no railroads then, they 

 could not be sent to market, and were 

 only occasionally eaten by the inhab- 

 itants. The immense wheat fields 

 which have been sown for a number 

 of years past have largely increased 

 this species, where they assemble in 

 flocks, and are the gleaners of the 

 harvest. 



Early in the morning Grouse may 

 be seen flying everywhere, from one 

 alone to perhaps a thousand together. 

 They alight in the cornfields. " Look! 

 Yonder comes a dozen ; they will fly 

 right over you; no, they svv'erve fifty 

 yards to one side and pass you like 

 bullets; single out your bird, hold four 

 feet in front of him, and when he is 

 barely opposite cut loose. Following 

 the crack of the gun you hear a sharp 

 whack as the shot strike, and you 

 have tumbled an old cock into the 

 grass. You have of course marked 

 down as many of the birds as possible; 



let them feed an hour and then drive 

 them up. They will rise very wild, 

 and the only object in flushing them 

 is to see them down where they will 

 take their noon-day siesta." 



On the prairies they are often shot 

 from a wagon, the hunter remaining 

 seated, so plentiful are they in remote 

 districts. Near the towns very few 

 are seen. The birds always seem to 

 prefer the low ground in a field. They 

 are rarely seen during the middle of 

 the day, as they do not move about 

 much. It is a fine sight to see a large 

 flock of chickens rise on the wing and 

 fly swiftly and steadily for several 

 hundred yards. When they drop in 

 the grass they separate and run in 

 every direction. Like the Quail, in 

 the inclemency of winter they ap- 

 proach the barn, "basking and perch- 

 ing on the fences, occasionally ven- 

 turing to mix with the poultry in their 

 repast, and are then often taken in 

 traps." They feed on buds and mast, 

 sometimes leaves and the buds of the 

 pine. In wintry storms they seek 

 shelter in the evergreens, but in spring 

 and summer they often roost on the 

 ground in company. These birds be- 

 gin pairing in March or April. Mr. 

 Nuttall's account of this interestine 

 period (see his Hand-book of Ornith- 

 ology — Little, Brown & Co.) — is as fol- 

 lows: " At this time the behavior 

 of the male becomes remarkable. 

 Early in the morning he comes forth 

 from his bushy roost and struts about 

 with a curving neck, raising his ruff, 

 expanding his tail like a fan, and 

 seeming to mimic the ostentation of 

 the Turkey. He now seeks out or 

 meets his rival, and several pairs at a 

 time, as soon as they become visible 

 through the dusky dawn, are seen 

 preparing for combat. Previously to 

 this encounter, the male, swelling out 

 his throat, utters what is called a toot- 



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