in the midst of them — more vain, more 



2 2 



resplendent, strutting more proudly and cluck- 



<3^/Je O/'Beec/i ing more arrogantly than any other — was 



^^a'fr/dge the old beech partridge. 



^fck^ But when the spring came, and the long 



rolling drum-calls began to throb through 



the budding woods, he retired to his middle 



range on the ridge, and marched from one 



end to the other, driving every other cock 



grouse out of hearing, and drubbing him 



soundly if he dared resist. Then, after a 



triumph, you would hear his loud drum-call 



rolling through the May splendor, calling as 



many wives as possible to share his rich 



living. 



He had two drumming logs on this range, 

 as I soon discovered ; and once, while he was 

 drumming on one log, I hid near the other 

 and imitated his call fairly well by beating 

 my hands on a blown bladder that I had but- 

 toned under my jacket. The roll of a grouse 

 drum is a curiously muffled sound ; it is often 

 hard to determine the spot or even the direc- 

 tion whence it comes ; and it always sounds 

 much farther away than it really is. This 



