374 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 
deed in ruffed grouse shooting, for, as mentioned be- 
fore, it ventures into the open only on such infrequent 
eccasions as it is tempted to search therein for food, 
and then only in places seldom invaded by man, where 
it fancies there is freedom from pursuit. To all fixed 
habits there seems to be an exception for a short pe- 
riod in the fall, when it is subject to a crazy wayward- 
ness. 
While in the open field it is strong and swift of 
wing, in cover it is at its best. It will, on occasion, 
dash through the densest thickets with apparent ease, 
with no diminution of its swiftest speed, seemingly 
having a charmed manner of flying through tree-tops 
and thickets as if they were but phantom trees of the 
woodland, or shadows offering no obstruction to its 
onward flight. 
And in its favorite haunts it is a master of self- 
defense. It can utilize thickets, trees, old fences, 
ledges, stone walls, swift wings and endless cunning 
to evade its pursuer. Be the position of the shooter 
what it may in reference to this bird in cover, it, when 
flushed, takes instant advantage of the nearest thicket 
or the trunk of a tree or old fence, keeping one or the 
other between itself and the gunner in its line of flight, 
thus in a great measure blocking all opportunity to 
shoot, or at least hampering the shooter greatly, and 
oftentimes causing a miss. 
The bird, in most instances, times its rise so as to 
have the advantage of some nearby object as a shield 
to its flight. On occasion it will display a courage 
