FEATHERED GAME 
ice. Perhaps we should say ‘‘ladies,’’ for 
usually has several wives and would take 
re if he could get them. He struts up and 
m on some old fallen tree, with his tail 
st and widespread to its fullest extent, then 
denly dropping it and pressing it closely to 
log, his short, powerful and deeply con- 
ed wings beat a continuous roll, slowly at 
t, but rapidly increasing in speed and vol- 
», then dying away again. This noise 
nds like the rumble of far-off thunder and 
7 be heard a long distance on a still day. 
+ manner in which this ‘‘drumming”’ is pro- 
ed was a question for a long time undecided, 
1y different theories being advanced. The 
idea was that he struck his wings upon a 
ow log, but if this were the case how does 
drum upon stones, sound logs, or the top 
of a fence? The solution most generally 
xpted is that this strange music is caused by 
vibration of the stiff quill feathers in their 
id motion through the air, these never touch- 
the body. The sound is very difficult to 
ite and from its peculiarly muffled tone ac- 
ate judgment of the performer’s distance is 
ost impossible. The bird will use the same 
