23 



may have deceived the old beech partridge 

 at first into thinking that he heard some 

 other bird far away, on a ridge across the 

 valley, where he had no concern; for pres- 3^e 01 Beech 

 ently he drummed again on his own log. I T'afrid^e 

 answered it promptly, rolling back a defiance, 

 and also telling any hen grouse on the range 

 that here was another candidate, willing to 

 strut and spread his tail and lift the resplen- 

 dent ruff about his neck to win his way into 

 her good graces, if she would but come to his 

 drumming log and see him. 



Some suspicion that a rival had come to 

 his range must have entered the old beech 

 partridge's head. There was a long silence, in 

 which I could fancy him standing up straight 

 and stiff on his drumming log, listening 

 intently to locate the daring intruder, and 

 holding down his bubbling wrath with 

 difficulty. 



Without waiting for him to drum again, I 

 beat out a challenge. The roll had barely 

 ceased when he came darting up the ridge, 

 glancing like a bolt among the thick branches, 

 and plunged down by his own log, where he 



