THE BIRD BOOK 





Bro'wnish buff 



299- Franklin's Grouse. 



Canachites franhlin franJclini. 



Range. — Northwestern United States and Brit- 

 ish Columbia. 



This species is very similar to the Canada 

 Grouse, the most apparent difference heing the 

 absence of the brownish gray tip to the tail, and 

 the upper coverts are broadly tipped with white. 

 This species, 

 wliich is very 

 abundant in the 

 northwest, has 

 tlie same stupid 

 habits of the east- 

 ern bird. During 

 the mating seas- 

 on, the males of 

 both this and the 

 preceding species 

 have the same 

 habit of "drum- 

 ming" that the 



Ruffed Grouse has. Their nests are placed on 

 tlie ground under bushes or fir trees and from 

 eight to fifteen eggs are laid. These are brown- 

 ish buff in color, spotted and blotched with rich 

 brown. They are very similar to the eggs of the 

 Canada Grouse. Data. — Moberly Peak, Cascade 

 Mts., British Columbia, June 9, 1902. 7 eggs in a 

 slight hollow on the ground. Collector, G. F. 

 Dippie. 



300. Ruffed Grouse. Bonasa umbellus um- 



bellus. 



Range. — Eastern United States from Minnesota 

 to New England; south to Virginia. 

 The Ruffed Grouse is "King of the Game Birds" 

 in the east, where it has been hunted so freely, 

 that it has become very wary and requires a skill- 

 ful marksman to bring it down. Because of the 

 cutting oft of all heavy timber, and the vigor with 

 which they are pursued by liunters, they are -be- 

 coming very scarce in New England, and witliin 

 a few years they will probably he practically ex- 

 tinct in that section. Their favorite resorts are 

 heavily timbered woods or low growth birclies. 

 Their nests are hollows in tlie leaves under fallen 

 trees, beside some stump or concealed among the 

 small slioots at the base of a large tree. The bird 

 sits very close, but when she does fly, goes with the familiar rumble and roar 

 which always disconcerts the novice, the win"d created by her sudden flight 

 generally causing the leaves to settle in tlie nest and conceal the eggs. They 

 lay from eight to flfteen eggs, of a brownish buff color, sometimes with a few 

 faint markings of brown, but generally unspotted. Size 1..55 x 1,16. The young 

 of all the Partridges and Grouse are born covered with down and follow their 

 parents soon after leaving the shell. The adults are very skillful in leading 

 enemies away from their young, feigning lameness, broken wings, etc. The 

 nesting habits and eggs of the three sub-species are precisely the same in every 

 respect as those of this bird, 



180 



Ruffed Grouse 



Brownish hntt 



