PINNATED GROUSE, 279 



produced by the Night Hawks in their rapid descent ; each strongly 

 accented, the last being twice as long as the others. When several are 

 thus engaged, the ear is unable to distinguish the regularity of these 

 triple notes, there being at such times one continued bumming, which is 

 disagreeable and perplexing, from the impossibility of ascertaining from 

 what distance or even quarter it proceeds. While uttering this the bird 

 exhibits all the ostentatious gesticulations of a turkey-cock ; erecting 

 and fluttering his neck wings, wheeling and passing before the female, 

 and close before his fellows, as in defiance. Now and then are heard 

 some rapid cackling notes, not unlike that of a person tickled to exces- 

 sive laughter ; and in short one can scarcely listen to them without 

 feeling disposed to laugh from sympathy. These are uttered by the 

 males while engaged in fight, on which occasion they leap up against 

 each other, exactly in the manner of turkeys, seemingly with more 

 malice than effect. This bumming continues from a little before day- 

 break to eight or nine o'clock in the morning, when the parties separate 

 to seek for food. 



Fresh ploughed fields, in the vicinity of their resorts, are sure to be 

 visited by these birds every morning, and frequently also in the evening. 

 On one of these I counted, at one time, seventeen males, most of whom 

 were in the attitude represented in the plate ; making such a continued 

 sound as I am persuaded might have been heard for more than a mile 

 off. The people of the Barrens informed me, that when the weather 

 became severe, with snow, they approach the barn and farm-house ; are 

 sometimes seen sitting on the fences in dozens ; mix with the poultry, 

 and glean up the scattered grains of Indian corn ; seeming almost half 

 domesticated. At such times great numbers are taken in traps. No 

 pains, however, or regular plan has ever been persisted in, as far as I 

 was informed, to domesticate these delicious birds. A Mr. Reed, who lives 

 between the Pilot Knobs and Bairdstown, told me, that a few years ago, 

 one of his sons found a Grouse's nest, with fifteen eggs, which he brought 

 home, and immediately placed below a hen then sitting ; taking away 

 her own. The nest of the Grouse was on the ground, under a tussock 

 of long grass, formed with very little art and few materials ; the eggs 

 were brownish white, and about the size of a pullet's. In three or four 

 days the whole were hatched. Instead of following the hen, they com- 

 pelled her to run after them, distracting her with the extent and diver- 

 sity of their wanderings ; and it was a day or two before they seemed 

 to understand her language, or consent to be guided by her. They 

 were let out to the fields, where they paid little regard to their nurse ; 

 and in a few days, only three of them remained. These became ex- 

 tremely tame and familiar, were most expert fly catchers ; but soon 

 after they also disappeared. 



The Pinnated Grous is nineteen inches long, twenty-seven inches in 



