WILLOW GROUSE. 215 



which much, resembles 'crrackackackkah.' They do not 

 generally fly far, and when they settle they usually 

 utter the note of 'kawau, kawau.' The female generally 

 rises silently, or with a faint 'hjan, hjan.' As soon as 

 the young birds are hatched you see the families 

 together; and in the breeding season the male is never 

 far from the nest where the old female is sitting. As 

 winter comes on they pack, and deep snow and hard 

 frost sometimes drives them down into the regions that 

 lie below the fells. 



They pair about the end of May, but sometimes as 

 early as April. At about one in the morning the male 

 commences his love song with a loud 'prrr-pack-prrr,' 

 and a deeper 'kawau, kawau.' The female answers 

 with a finer 'hjan, hjan,' and the two draw together, 

 and the male is very easily shot noAv by the poacher, 

 who is hidden behind a rock or bush, and decoys 

 him within shot by an imitation of the call-note of 

 the female. The bird comes on by short flights, and 

 runs within shot, sometimes stands still, raises up his 

 tail spread out like a fan, flaps his wings against his 

 legs, throws his neck back, and answers with his hoarse 

 'kawau, kawau.' 



The female lays ten or twelve eggs, without any 

 nest, in the heather, but generally under a bush, or 

 by the stump of an old fir. The male keeps watch 

 while she is sitting to drive away any birds of prey 

 that may approach the spot, and so bold is he at this 

 time that he has even been seen to drive away a fox. 

 After they are hatched, both the old ones attend the 

 covey. When the young ones are frightened up they 

 scream out much like young chickens, and separating 

 cast themselves among the bushes or heather, and then 

 sit so close that they can be easily picked up by the hand. 



