THE CANADA-GROUSE loi 



common in the Adirondacks, and once shot eight in 

 less than an hour, the eighth one, which was an old 

 male, was killed with smooth pebble stones, his shot 

 having given out. 



I have referred to the shooting of the entire flock of 

 ruffed-grouse from a tree. There is a recent story in 

 Field and Stream of the shooting in Nova Scotia of an 

 entire flock of spruce-grouse which perched upon the 

 nearest limbs of the hemlocks and never "stirred" 

 until the covey was exterminated. " I am ashamed," 

 says the writer, " when I think how soon that whole 

 covey lay in a heap, tossed together in the path. 

 But it was the sad penalty that the spruce-partridge 

 always pays for its stupidity and too confiding dis- 

 position when lumbermen or hunters are in need of 

 meat." I have referred to these birds being taken 

 with a looped string on the end of a fishing-pole. The 

 reader will find this method of pursuit described and 

 pictured in Scribner's Monthly for August, 1877. 



The Rocky Mountain species differs but little, the 

 chief difference is in the tail markings, and the reader 

 who cares for such differences may find an illustration 

 of the two tails in " North American Birds," by Baird 

 Brewer and Ridgway. I do not care enough for such 

 matters to try and remember the slight differences in 

 the tail markings. They are both small black-grouse, 

 beautifully marked with bars and dots of white below. 

 They are equally tame and confiding and entitled to 

 share with the blue-grouse the title of " fool-hen." 

 As the larger game becomes scarce in the Western 

 mountains they will receive more of the sportsman's 

 attention, no doubt, and will soon become as wild as 



