bright eyes are watching him shyly out of 

 the coverts. Once, when I had watched 

 him strut and drum a few times, the leaves 

 rustled, and two hen grouse emerged from S^eOfBeech 

 opposite sides into the little opening where /^ofrid^G 

 his log was. Then he strutted with greater 

 vanity than before, while the two hen 

 grouse went gliding about the place, search- 

 ing for seeds apparently, but in reality 

 watching his every movement out of their 

 eye corners, and admiring him to his heart's 

 content. 



In winter I used to follow his trail through 

 the snow to find what he had been doing, 

 and what he had found to eat in nature's 

 scarce time. His worst enemies, the man 

 and his dog, were no longer to be feared, 

 being restrained by law, and he roamed the 

 woods with greater freedom than ever. He 

 seemed to know that he was safe at this 

 time; more than once I trailed him up to 

 his hiding and saw him whir away through 

 the open woods, sending down a shower of 

 snow behind him, as if in that curious way 

 to hide his line of flight from my eyes. 



