SPOTTED OR CANADA GROUS. 439 



and the young follow the mother as soon as hatched. The males leave 

 the females whenever incubation has commenced, and do not join them 

 again until late in autumn ; indeed, they remove to different woods, where 

 they are more shy and wary than during the love season or in winter. 



This species walks much in the manner of our Partridge. I never 

 saw one jerk its tail as the Ruffed Grous does, nor do they burrow in the 

 snow like that bird, but usually resort to trees to save themselves from 

 their pursuers. They seldom move from thence at the barking of a dog, 

 and when roused fly only to a short distance, uttering a few cluchs, which 

 they repeat on alighting. In general, when a flock is discovered, each indi- 

 vidual forming it may be easily caught, for so seldom do they see men in 

 the secluded places which they inhabit, that they do not seem to be aware 

 of the hostile propensities of the race. 



Along the shores of the Bay of Fundy, the Spruce Partridge is much 

 more abundant than the Ruffed Grous, which indeed gradually becomes 

 scarcer the farther north we proceed, and is unknown in Labrador, where 

 it is replaced by the Willow Grous, and two other species. The females 

 of the Canada Grous differ materially in their colouring in different lati- 

 tudes. In Maine, for instance, they are more richly coloured than in 

 Labrador, where I observed that all the individuals procured by me 

 were of a much greyer hue than those shot near Dennisville. The like 

 difference is perhaps still more remarkable in the Ruffed Grous, which 

 are so very grey and uniformly coloured in the Northern and Eastern 

 States, as to induce almost every person to consider them as of a species 

 distinct from those found in Kentucky, or any of the southern mountain- 

 ous districts of the Union. % have in my possession skins of both species 

 procured a thousand miles apart, that present these remarkable differences 

 in the general hue of their plumage. 



All the species of this genus indicate the approach of rainy weather or 

 a snow storm, with far more precision than the best barometer ; for on the 

 afternoon previous to such weather, they all resort to their roosting places 

 earlier by several hours than they do during a continuation of fine weather. 

 I have seen groups of Grous flying up to their roosts at mid-day, or as 

 soon as the weather felt heavy, and have observed that it generally rain- 

 ed in the course of that afternoon. When, on the contrary, the same flock 

 would remain busily engaged in search of food until sunset, I found the 

 night and the following morning fresh and clear. Indeed, I believe that 

 this kind of foresight exists in the whole tribe of GaUinaceoiis bii'ds. 



