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  GROUSE 
  AND 
  WILD 
  TURKEYS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  The 
  ruffed 
  grouse 
  affords 
  grand 
  sport; 
  indeed, 
  with 
  not 
  a 
  few 
  

   sportsmen 
  it 
  holds 
  higher 
  place 
  even 
  than 
  bobwhite. 
  In 
  flight 
  it 
  is 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  swiftest 
  of 
  upland 
  game 
  birds, 
  and 
  considerable 
  skill, 
  a 
  

   quick 
  eye, 
  and 
  a 
  steady 
  hand 
  are 
  needed 
  to 
  shoot 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  wing. 
  

   Most 
  shots 
  must 
  be 
  made 
  in 
  cover, 
  and 
  the 
  bird's 
  habit 
  of 
  putting 
  

   a 
  tree 
  between 
  itself 
  and 
  the 
  sportsman 
  as 
  it 
  flies 
  away 
  adds 
  to 
  

   the 
  difficulty. 
  As 
  a 
  rule 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  lie 
  nearly 
  so 
  close 
  to 
  a 
  dog 
  as 
  bob- 
  

   white, 
  but 
  before 
  a 
  well-trained, 
  cautious 
  animal 
  it 
  lies 
  fairly 
  well. 
  

   When 
  brought 
  to 
  bag 
  the 
  grouse 
  is 
  a 
  noble 
  prize. 
  From 
  six 
  to 
  nine 
  

   birds 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  a 
  good 
  day's 
  bag, 
  worth 
  more 
  than 
  several 
  times 
  

   as 
  many 
  bobwhites. 
  The 
  excellence 
  of 
  this 
  grouse 
  as 
  a 
  table 
  delicacy 
  

   causes 
  the 
  market 
  supply 
  generally 
  to 
  fall 
  far 
  short 
  of 
  the 
  demand, 
  

   and 
  the 
  price 
  is 
  always 
  high. 
  If 
  the 
  bird 
  could 
  be 
  successfully 
  bred 
  

   in 
  captivity, 
  it 
  would 
  furnish 
  a 
  most 
  valuable 
  food. 
  

  

  PRESERVATION 
  AND 
  PROPAGATION. 
  

  

  The 
  ruffed 
  grouse 
  has 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  potent 
  enemies. 
  Most 
  dan- 
  

   gerous 
  of 
  all 
  is 
  probably 
  that 
  destructive 
  biped, 
  man. 
  Writing 
  from 
  

   Minnesota, 
  Dr. 
  P. 
  L. 
  Hatch 
  says: 
  a 
  

  

  Nowhere 
  was 
  the 
  ruffed 
  grouse 
  more 
  abundant 
  than 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  deciduous 
  

   forests 
  of 
  this 
  State, 
  until 
  mercilessly 
  slaughtered 
  by 
  the 
  pot 
  hunters. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  

   But 
  their 
  glorious 
  day 
  is 
  passing 
  away 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  about 
  300 
  dogs 
  and 
  700 
  double- 
  

   barreled 
  breech-loading 
  shotguns 
  can 
  accomplish 
  their 
  annihilation. 
  

  

  Many 
  market 
  hunters 
  of 
  the 
  grouse 
  use 
  a 
  little 
  cur 
  dog 
  trained 
  to 
  

   tree 
  the 
  game 
  and 
  to 
  bark 
  until 
  the 
  gunner 
  approaches 
  within 
  range. 
  

   Of 
  the 
  numerous 
  natural 
  enemies, 
  hawks, 
  owls, 
  crows, 
  skunks, 
  minks, 
  

   wild 
  cats, 
  and 
  foxes 
  are 
  very 
  destructive, 
  and 
  in 
  certain 
  localities 
  a 
  

   species 
  of- 
  tick 
  often 
  infests 
  the 
  birds. 
  Among 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  prey, 
  the 
  

   Cooper 
  hawk, 
  goshawk, 
  red-shouldered 
  hawk, 
  barred 
  owl, 
  and 
  great 
  

   horned 
  owl 
  are 
  their 
  worst 
  enemies. 
  At 
  Marshall 
  Hall, 
  Md., 
  the 
  

   writer 
  found 
  a 
  crow 
  plundering 
  the 
  nest 
  of 
  a 
  grouse. 
  Almost 
  every- 
  

   body 
  who 
  is 
  personally 
  familiar 
  with 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  fox 
  has 
  found 
  

   it 
  feeding 
  on 
  game 
  birds. 
  At 
  Chocorua 
  the 
  writer 
  came 
  upon 
  the 
  den 
  

   of 
  a 
  red 
  fox 
  about 
  which 
  were 
  strewn 
  tail 
  feathers 
  of 
  the 
  ruffed 
  

   grouse. 
  Owners 
  of 
  shooting 
  preserA 
  T 
  es 
  will 
  do 
  well 
  to 
  destroy 
  sys- 
  

   tematically 
  all 
  vermin 
  injurious 
  to 
  game. 
  The 
  bird 
  should 
  have 
  

   better 
  protection 
  also 
  from 
  man. 
  Massachusetts 
  still 
  permits 
  land- 
  

   owners 
  to 
  snare 
  grouse 
  on 
  their 
  own 
  lands 
  during 
  October 
  and 
  Novem- 
  

   ber. 
  Such 
  destructive 
  and 
  unsportsmanlike 
  practices 
  should 
  be 
  pre- 
  

   vented 
  everywhere 
  by 
  well-enforced 
  laws. 
  The 
  abominable 
  practice 
  

   by 
  summer 
  campers 
  of 
  potting 
  grouse 
  when 
  they 
  have 
  young 
  should 
  

   also 
  be 
  punished 
  by 
  a 
  strict 
  enforcement 
  of 
  the 
  law. 
  In 
  sections 
  

  

  a 
  Birds 
  of 
  Minnesota, 
  p. 
  160, 
  1892. 
  

  

  