JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



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tunities for observing the male grouse 

 drum. In all but one instance the 

 birds were on old logs. The exception 

 was one in Freeport which was sitting 

 on a stone wall. You are all doubtless 

 familiar with the sound. It was made 

 in all cases that came under my ob- 

 servation exactly as I described it last 

 year in the Osprey. There was no 

 "strutting up and down the log." If the 

 bird detected a sound, he would 

 straighen up, look and listen, then re- 

 sume his crouching position with head 

 drawn down. When about to drum 

 he would raise himself, straighten him- 

 self bacK,' sometimes glancing about 

 suspiciously, sometimes not, then pro- 

 duce the drumming sound and resume 

 his former position. 



The drumming seemed to be produc- 

 ed by expelling the air from between 

 his wings and body by short, quick 

 strokes of the wings, which at no time 

 "met behind" or touched the body. It 

 has been stated that the drumming 

 cannot be a "love note" because it oc- 

 curs so often in other seasons than in 

 the spring. Now I have been in the 

 Maine woods since May first, and have 

 had all the opportunities one could 

 wish for to hear and observe these 

 birds drum, and have heard more 

 drumming birds in the late fall than 

 at any other season, though I heard a 

 few in the spring. If pairing take 

 place in the spring, it seems to me, 

 that it must be before the female is 

 ready to lay her eggs, I have, this, 

 year, seen instances of undoubted pair- 

 ing in October and November, especial- 

 ly during the last of the former and 

 first of the latter month. Drummers 

 were heard most frequently in October. 

 I recall hearing none in August and 

 September. At this time the birds ob- 

 served, for the most part, were in 

 flocks of young with their mothers. In 

 October there were seldom more than 



two together, and when in pairs they 

 were always male and female. 



You have seen that picture of grouse? 

 which advertises some gun firm or an- 

 other. It is a good one. This fall I 

 saw the same pretty sight in living 

 birds. The cock on a log, tail aspread, 

 wings drooping slightly, and an im- 

 mense ruff about his neck — so much 

 that I could hardly detect his head — 

 though I was within 10 or 15 feet of 

 him. Below, by a rock, stood the fe- 

 male motionless, and although not, just 

 at that moment, casting admiring 

 glances at the swain on the log, I 

 have no doubt that she had been doing 

 so. 



One night while tenting on Webster 

 Brook, it was October 17, a bright 

 monlight, still, cold, frosty night, I had 

 fallen asleep and dreamed I was in my 

 native town, in one of my boyhood 

 haunts with my gun, looking for "part- 

 ridges." In my dreams I heard one 

 drum and started to steal upon him. 

 But for some reason I awoke before I 

 reached the bird, and lay awake for a 

 while, when I heard the drumming 

 "sure 'nough," which at intervals of 

 six, eight or ten minutes I should 

 judge, was repeated. I looked at my 

 watch and it was 1.15 A. M. The bird 

 was still at it when I last looked at 

 my watch at 3.30, before falling asleep 

 again. I thought this night drumming 

 an unusual occurrence, but my guide 

 said he had often heard them drum on 

 just such nights, but I doubt if he were 

 forewarned by a dream. 



I had the good fortune to observe a 

 drummer approaching his bandstand. 

 He flew down near our tent, the same 

 sleep disturber I presume, stood for a 

 minute upright, listening, then with 

 head stretched out straight ahead, 

 crouching close to the ground, he 

 swiftly glided through the bushes to 

 the log. I followed him and saw him 



