298 AMERICAN GAME. 
when I have gone out expressly in~pursuit of them, I 
have never had even tolerable sport. 
If the law were altered, and September shooting per- 
mitted, the case would be altered also; and in many 
regions of our country, as the Kaatskill Mountains, and 
some parts of Columbia and Saratoga counties, in New 
York ; the Pocono Mountains, and the Blue Ridge, gen- 
erally, in Pennsylvania; and many districts of Maine, 
Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, rare sport 
might be had. For September shooting, No. 8 shot will 
be found sufficient ; but after that, No. 7; and very late 
in the season, Eley’s wire cartridges will be found the 
most effective. 
This widely extended bird is too well know to require 
any peculiar description; and I shall content myself 
with observing, in aid of my portraiture of the Ruffed 
Grouse, that the upper part of its head and hind neck 
are reddish-brown, the back rich chestnut, mottled with 
heart-shaped spots of white, edged with black. The tail 
is bright reddish-yellow, barred and speckled with 
black, and bordered by a broad, black belt between two 
narrow white bands, one at the extremity of the tail. 
The iris of the eye hazel, bill brown, feet brownish gray. 
Loral band cream color. Throat and fore-neck, brown- 
ish-yellow. Upper rufffeathers barred with brown, 
Wings brownish-red, streaked with black7 Breast and 
abdomen cream colored, closely barred above, and late- 
rally spotted below, with dark chocolate. Length 18 
