﻿EUFFED 
  GROUSE. 
  27 
  

  

  tufts 
  erect. 
  He 
  begins 
  beating 
  his 
  wings 
  slowly; 
  then 
  faster 
  and 
  

   faster, 
  till 
  their 
  rapid 
  reverberation 
  becomes 
  a 
  tattoo, 
  rolling 
  out 
  a 
  

   challenge 
  to 
  rival 
  cocks 
  and 
  a 
  love 
  call 
  to 
  the 
  hens. 
  

  

  Nesting 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  April, 
  or 
  more 
  often 
  early 
  

   in 
  May. 
  In 
  a 
  makeshift 
  nest 
  scratched 
  in 
  a 
  hollow 
  are 
  laid 
  ten 
  or 
  a 
  

   dozen 
  or 
  even 
  more 
  creamy 
  white 
  or 
  buffy 
  eggs, 
  usually 
  unspotted, 
  

   but 
  sometimes 
  with 
  fine 
  specks 
  of 
  brown. 
  The 
  young 
  look 
  like 
  little 
  

   brown 
  leghorn 
  chicks. 
  Only 
  one 
  brood 
  is 
  raised 
  in 
  a 
  season. 
  On 
  

   July 
  ^. 
  in 
  Xew 
  Jersey, 
  the 
  writer 
  has 
  seen 
  young 
  birds 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  

   Avoodcock. 
  The 
  cock 
  grouse 
  assist 
  neither 
  in 
  incubation 
  nor 
  in 
  rear- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  young, 
  but 
  after 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  assemble 
  in 
  small 
  companies 
  

   by 
  themselves. 
  The 
  hen 
  is 
  amply 
  able 
  to 
  care 
  for 
  her 
  little 
  family, 
  

   and 
  Mr. 
  Sandys 
  tells 
  how 
  a 
  mother 
  forced 
  to 
  headlong 
  and 
  unvalorous 
  

   flight 
  a 
  young 
  pointer 
  that 
  had 
  designs 
  on 
  her 
  brood. 
  a 
  The 
  notes 
  

   of 
  the 
  grouse 
  during 
  the 
  breeding 
  season 
  are 
  interesting. 
  When 
  the 
  

   brood 
  is 
  surprised 
  the 
  hen 
  utters 
  several 
  clucking 
  sounds, 
  one 
  of 
  

   which 
  may 
  be 
  described 
  as 
  ' 
  quit, 
  quit, 
  quit.' 
  Mr. 
  Sandys, 
  in 
  writing 
  

   of 
  the 
  call 
  of 
  the 
  parent 
  birds 
  to 
  scattered 
  chicks, 
  says 
  : 
  & 
  

  

  In 
  about 
  ten 
  minutes 
  there 
  sounded 
  a 
  low 
  musical 
  chirruping, 
  very 
  like 
  the 
  

   sound 
  emitted 
  by 
  a 
  red 
  squirrel 
  between 
  the 
  coughing, 
  sputtering 
  notes. 
  

  

  Major 
  Bendire, 
  quoting 
  Doctor 
  Ralph, 
  says 
  that 
  a 
  disturbed 
  mother 
  

   grouse 
  utters 
  a 
  sound 
  like 
  the 
  whine 
  of 
  a 
  young 
  puppy/ 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  habits 
  and 
  general 
  attractiveness 
  of 
  the 
  ruffed 
  grouse 
  Major 
  

   Bendire 
  writes 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  d 
  

  

  The 
  Ruffed 
  Grouse 
  is 
  naturally 
  tame 
  and 
  unsuspicious, 
  and 
  let 
  it 
  once 
  realize 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  protected, 
  it 
  becomes 
  almost 
  as 
  much 
  at 
  home 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  

   of 
  man 
  as 
  a 
  domestic 
  fowl, 
  and 
  quickly 
  learns 
  to 
  know 
  its 
  friends. 
  At 
  the 
  fine 
  

   country 
  residence 
  of 
  the 
  Hon. 
  Clinton 
  L. 
  Merriam, 
  near 
  Locust 
  Grove. 
  X. 
  Y.. 
  

   especially 
  during 
  the 
  winter, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  unusual 
  sight 
  to 
  see 
  several 
  of 
  these 
  

   handsome 
  birds 
  unconcernedly 
  walking 
  about 
  the 
  shrubbery 
  surrounding 
  his 
  

   home, 
  and 
  even 
  coming 
  on 
  the 
  veranda 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  to 
  feed. 
  They, 
  like 
  many 
  

   other 
  animals 
  about 
  the 
  place, 
  have 
  learned 
  that 
  here 
  at 
  least 
  they 
  are 
  among 
  

   friends, 
  and 
  plainly 
  show 
  their 
  full 
  confidence 
  in 
  them. 
  Even 
  during 
  the 
  mating 
  

   season 
  a 
  cock 
  Grouse 
  may 
  frequently 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  drumming 
  within 
  

   50 
  yards 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  outbuildings. 
  

  

  Bird 
  Lore, 
  for 
  May-June, 
  1904:, 
  has 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  a 
  wild 
  hen 
  

   grouse 
  which 
  was 
  so 
  tame 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  come 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  woods 
  at 
  

   call 
  and 
  allow 
  itself 
  to 
  be 
  picked 
  up, 
  thus 
  displaying 
  the 
  most 
  un- 
  

   bounded 
  confidence 
  in 
  its 
  human 
  neighbors. 
  To 
  lovers 
  of 
  nature 
  the 
  

   aesthetic 
  value 
  of 
  this 
  beautiful 
  bird 
  is 
  very 
  great, 
  and 
  its 
  value 
  is 
  

   none 
  the 
  less, 
  although 
  it 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  measured 
  in 
  cash. 
  

  

  « 
  Upland 
  Game 
  Birds, 
  pp. 
  118-119, 
  1902. 
  

   &Ibid., 
  p. 
  119, 
  1902. 
  

   c 
  Life 
  Hist. 
  N. 
  A. 
  Birds 
  [I], 
  p. 
  G2, 
  1892. 
  

   d 
  Ibid., 
  p. 
  GO, 
  1892. 
  

  

  