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I T'-ir 



93 



GAAfE BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA. 



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rapidity, uttering a loud, cackling note, and if there are 

 several together, the noise they make at such a time is 

 very considerable. The nesting season begins in May or 

 June, according to the elevation at which the birds may 

 be, and but one brood is raised in a season. A depres- 

 sion is made in the ground by a fallen log, or bcneatli a 

 bush, or perhaps in thick grass, or it may be right in the 

 open without any concealment, and this is lined witiiout 

 much care with grass or any material that can be pressed 

 down by the bird, and about eight eggs are deposited. 

 Sometimes this number is greatly exceeded, and then it 

 is a question whether they have not been laid by more 

 than one hen. The eggs have a ground color varyinjr 

 from a creamy white to a rather deep buff, dotted, 

 spotted, and sometimes blotched with chestnut or choco- 

 late brown, and these markings are pretty evenly dis- 

 tributed all over the shell. The female remains on the 

 nest for about three weeks, when the young appear. 

 The chicks are exceedingly pretty little creatures, very 

 active, running as soon as they leave the shell, and are 

 adepts in hiding at the first alarm. The mother appears 

 to have the sole charge of their welfare, and clucks to 

 them in a similar manner as does the domestic hen to 

 her brood. When frightened the young scatter in every 

 direction, and the old bird usually takes refuge in some 

 tree. As soon as the chicks are sufficiently grown so as 

 to be able to fly, they also immediately take to the trees 

 if alarmed, but make no farther effort to escape, seeming 

 to believe they are quite out of danger as soon as they 

 have left the ground. From the habit which these 

 birds have of remaining motionless on the branches 

 until sometimes the entire covey is shot or killed 

 with sticks, they have received the name of Fool 

 hen or Fool Grouse. The flesh of this bird is white 



