THE RUFFED GROUSE, WITH SPECIAL 

 REFERENCE TO ITS DRUMMING 



By Edmund J. Sawyer 



CONTENTS 



i. Introduction. 



2. The Drumming Habit of the Ruffed Grouse. 



Theories as- to the Drumming Sound. 



The Drumming Place. 



How the Ruffed Grouse Drums. 



New Facts About the Habit. 



Methods in Watching and Photographing Drumming 



Grouse. 

 Experiences in a Grouse Blind. 

 A Tragedy of the Woods. 

 Why the Ruffed Grouse Drums. 

 The Human Appeal of the Drumming. 



3. Nesting of the Ruffed Grouse. 



The Nest and Eggs. 



Making Friends With a Ruffed Grouse Chick. 



4. Family Life in Summer. 



5. Life of the Ruffed Grouse in Winter. 



6. The King of Game Birds. 



7. List of References. 



INTRODUCTION 



No bird is more typical of our woods than the Ruffed Grouse or 

 " Partridge." Many circumstances combine to make this one of the 

 best known and most interesting of all our birds. Wary and wily, 

 exceedingly swift of wing, fine flavored, — to the hunter he is the 

 king of our game birds. ' Frequenting the woods along every moun- 

 tain stream, he is the familiar favorite of the trout fisherman. When 

 the last summer bird has gone this hardy forest denizen still remains 

 in undiminished numbers. When the last leaf has fallen, and when 

 still later the deep snow of the wood shows scarcely a sign of other 

 birds, the fresh trails of the Grouse are still to be found winding 

 among the trees. Here and there you may even find his bed of 

 the night before, out of which he bursts through a foot of snow. 

 As an obiect for study he has attracted most attention by his won- 

 derful "drumming." Following the regular springtime season of 

 drumming comes the charming family life with all its interest. First 

 we look for the nest with its numerous creamy eggs at the foot 

 of some tree, beside a log or under sheltering brush ; then, the downy 

 chicks with their marvelous ability at hiding amid the dead leaves ; 

 the devoted mother Grouse with her crafty tactics in leading us 

 away from the precious brood ; the dust-baths in sunny spots in the 

 wood ; and still, now and then, the alluring rumble of the mystic 

 drum ! 



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