106 UPLAXD SHOOTING. 



proof. For the past five or six years he has kindly 

 given the result of each season's experiments to the pub- 

 lic through the medium of sportsmen's journals. Unfort- 

 unately, his efforts have been hamj^ered by an insuffi- 

 ciency of birds; but if students of natural history will 

 help him in this particular, they will not only confer a 

 mutual benefit, but will favor future generations, as Mr. 

 Battelle expects to demonstrate that the ruffed grouse 

 may be wholly or partially domesticated. He predicts 

 that, eventually, they will occupy here the i)lace of the 

 pheasant in England. 



And now we come to the item upon which hinges the 

 dispute concerning the habits of the groiise, viz : the 

 similar appearance of the sexes. 



All busy men, who now and then take a day afield, 

 have noticed it. Many have thought that a solution of 

 the problem involved a study of natural history, for 

 which they had not time, or that the knowledge, when 

 gained, would prove more interesting than useful, besides 

 being a topic in which brother sportsmen would take but 

 little interest. 



In the determination of sex by external observation, 

 we first look at the ruff. If found with a metallic lustre, 

 reflecting green or blue tints in the sunlight, we have an 

 adult male; otherwise, a female or a young male. 



The specimen we will describe has a brownish-black 

 ruff, without lustre, and has been taken in December. 

 ^ye must now ascertain the difference l)etween the adult 

 and immature bird. We examine the feathers, especial! \' 

 on the back and sides, and find that the brown on the 

 tip of each shades into the lighter color instead of having 

 sharply defined edges. 



It indicates a young bird; but we go on, and find the 

 following additional evidence: A large feather, pulled 

 from the wing, is half-filled with half-dried blood or 



