244 



ORDERS OF BIRDS— UPLAND GAME-BIRDS 



the Ruffed Grouse should be called by that name, 

 and no other! It is called "Ruffed" because of 

 the ruff of feathers that it wears just in front of 

 its shoulders, and under the name "Redruff" 

 this bird has been most charmingly introduced 

 by Mr. Ernest Thompson Seton to many thou- 

 sand readers who never had known it previously. 

 This Grouse is in every respect a forest-bird. 

 Its ideal home is mixed forest of hardwood and 

 coniferous trees, with the white-tailed deer and 



EASTERN RUFFED GROUSE. 



gray squirrel for company. Its home extends 

 from Massachusetts and northern New York to 

 northern Georgia, and westward very sparingly 

 bej'ond the Mississippi to the Dakotas. Besides 

 being beautiful, it is a bird of interesting habits, 

 and its flesh is entirely too fine for its own good. 

 In size it is smaller than the pinnated grouse, or 

 prairie-chicken, but in intelligence it is second 

 to no other grouse living. 



The prevailing color of the Ruffed Grouse is 

 rusty brown, but the mottlings of black, gray 

 and white defy intelligent description. Open 

 or shut, the tail is a dream — cross-barred, band- 

 ed and mottled most exquisitely. It is no 

 wonder that the male bird is fond of strutting, 

 with spread tail; but besides this it has a still 

 more effective means of attracting the female. 

 It perches on a log, secures a good grip with its 

 feet, then beats the air with its wings until you 

 hear at the end of the performance a long, quiv- 

 ering resonance disturbing the solitude, like 

 beating upon a Hindoo tom-tom. 



The beats start slowly, but quickly increase in 

 rapidity to the end, thus: " Dum!-dum!-dum!- 

 dum-dum-dumdumdumdum." The bird does not 



beat the log, and it does not beat its own sides. 

 Thoreau declares that its wings strike together 

 behind its back! This "drumming" of the 

 Ruffed Grouse is heard oftenest in spring, and 

 is a. signal to the female ; but it is also heard oc- 

 casionally in summer and autumn. 



This Grouse is a strong flier, and gets up be- 

 fore the hunter with such a tremendous "burr- 

 r-r-r" of wings, and goes off so explosively, that 

 it takes a quick eye and hand to bring it down. 

 It can dash off through timber like a feathered 

 rocket, dodging trees and branches, and zig- 

 zaging in all directions leading away from danger, 

 with a degree of speed and certainty that is really 

 marvellous. No wonder the young hunter who 

 kills one, fairly and squarely, feels proud of his 

 skill, and hastens away to have the trophy 

 mounted for his den. 



Unfortunately, in most eastern states, where 

 the Ruffed Grouse should hold its own for a hun- 

 dred years, this bird is doomed to complete ex- 

 tinction — unless its sale for the table is immedi- 

 ately and effectually stopped! So long as it is 

 lawful to sell it, pot-hunters will shoot it, and 

 snare it, in season and out of season, as "food" 

 for the already over-fed patrons of fashionable 

 hotels and restaurants of the large cities. As 

 food for the hungry, this beautiful bird is not 

 needed in the least. As a means of inducing 

 thousands of brain-weary men to take health- 

 ful exercise in the woods, it will serve a highly 

 useful and important purpose — if not meanly 

 and foolishly exterminated. 



The following subspecies, closeh r related to 

 the typical Ruffed Grouse, are found in North 

 America : 



The Oregon, or Sabine's Grouse, is found on 

 the mountains of the Pacific coast, west of the 

 Coast Range, from northern British Columbia 

 to California. This species possesses rich red 

 plumage, and is quite beautiful. 



The Canadian Ruffed Grouse belongs to 

 Canada and Maine, but in the Northwest it 

 ranges south of the international boundary. 

 The Gray Ruffed Grouse inhabits the Rocky 

 Mountains from the Yukon to Colorado. 



The Dusky Grouse ' is a conspicuous type 

 which inhabits the Rocky Mountains from 

 Idaho and Montana to Arizona. Its other 



1 Den-drag' a-pus obscu'rus. Average length of 

 male, about 21 inches; female, IS inches. 



