THE PINNATED GROUSE 383 



neck, which, when the bird is at rest, hangs in loose, pendu- 

 lous, wrinkled folds along the side of the neck ; the supple- 

 mental wings, at the same time, as well as when the bird is 

 flying, lying along the neck. But when these bags are in- 

 flated with air, in breeding time, they are equal in size, and 

 very much resemble in color, a middle-sized, fully ripe 

 orange. By means of this curious apparatus, which is very 

 observable several hundred yards off, he is enabled to pro- 

 duce the extraordinary sound mentioned above, which, 

 though it may be easily imitated, is yet difficult to describe 

 by words. It consists of three notes of the same tone, re- 

 sembling those 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 humming, which is dis- 

 agreeable and perplexing from the impossibility of ascer- 

 taining 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 those of a per- 

 son tickled to excessive laughter ; and, in short, one can 

 scarcely listen to them without feeling disposed to laugh 

 from sympathy. These are uttered by the males while en- 

 gaged 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 daybreak to eight or nine o'clock in the morn- 

 ing, when the parties separate to seek for food." 



The Pinnated Grouse will in a very few years become ex- 

 terminated unless the close season is extended very consider- 

 ably. The 15th of October, or at the very earliest the 

 1st of October, should be the opening day of the season, 

 and the 1st of Jamiary should begin the close. 



