GAME 



BIRDS 



O F 



AMERICA 



RUFFED GROUSE ON NEST 



This picture was taken by leaving the camera set all night. 

 The bird itself pulled a thread which released the shutter early 

 in the morning. 



scream or squeal with which she 

 hurls herself at some enemy of 

 her brood. Many have heard 

 the drumming of the male, 

 " Thump — thump — thump — 

 thump, 4hump; thump, thump- 

 rup, rup rup rup r-r-r-r-r-r- 

 r-r-r"; but how many know 

 that some seasons in some local- 

 ities they do not drum at all ? 

 And why not? 



In my notebooks the nest 

 of the riaffed grouse figures as 

 a hollow in the ground, lined 

 with dead leaves or pine nee- 

 dles. The eggs range from seven 

 to twelve; in one case fifteen. 

 The mother does not commonly cover them on leaving the nest; although 

 a bird was once seen to do so by dropping straws and leaves on her back 

 and then sliding out from under. 



What keeps the eggs from harm for weeks in the open woods .? The 

 grouse often brings off her young safely not far from the home of hawk, 

 crow, or fox. Does the mother bird leave no scent by which her many 

 four-footed enemies can find her.'' In one case, at least, well trained pointer 

 and setter dogs could not find the bird on the nest, even after she had 

 walked away and returned to it. Sometimes a dog or a fox blunders on 

 the nest, and then the mother, every feather on end, flies at him in an 

 attempt to drive 

 him away; but this 

 does not scare or de- 

 ceive cunning Rey- 

 nard, and in an in- 

 stant his mouth is 

 full of eggs. Some- 

 times a prowling cat 

 catches the mother 

 on her eggs at night, 

 and that ends the 

 family history; but 

 in the majority 

 of cases the eggs 

 safely hatch. 



GROUSE 



ji favorite drumming log and try sting place. 



3 



