158 



RECREATION 



possible through such a death seal. 

 However, it is safe to say that a very 

 small per cent, of the grouse ever meet 

 their death in this way, although reports 

 of this sort of the bob whites are not un- 

 common in the northern states, where 

 the winters are long' and cold, but the 

 grouse being such wonderfully hardy 

 and rugged creatures are better adapted 

 to such climatic conditions than are the 

 quail. 



When the snow is so deep that it 

 makes feeding from the ground impos- 

 sible then the buds of young trees form 

 the principal part of the birds' menu, the 



wavs found to be extremely plump, and 

 is it any wonder, then, that from this 

 varied menu, which produces such lus- 

 cious meat, these birds are so sought 

 for by the sportsmen? 



During the very cold winter days the 

 grouse are not prone to move about a 

 great deal ; after the day's meal, which 

 is taken early in the morning, the birds 

 make for pines or hemlocks, both for 

 concealment and warmth, thus woods of 

 this variety of trees are the grouses' fa- 

 vorite winter resort. On a bright and 

 sunshiny day, however, I have often 

 quietly come upon one squatted peace- 



MEDITATION 



birch buds seeming to have the prefer- 

 ence. Of course, during the whole year 

 their food is of such a variety that it 

 would be too long a list to enumerate, as 

 it would include several kinds of insects, 

 most all the varieties of wild berries, to- 

 gether with their foliage, and even the 

 poisonous variety of sumach berries, 

 which do the grouse no injury, also any 

 grain dropped in the stubble, and a few 

 kinds of nuts may be added, the beech 

 nuts being especially fattening, as birds 

 shot in beech woods in the fall are al- 



fully under a thorn apple tree, quite in 

 the open, too ; but let there be the slight- 

 est sound to disturb him and Mr. 

 Grouse is out and gone in less than the 

 twinkling of an eye. 



Thus all through the winter each bird, 

 independent of its fellows, generally 

 manages to exist and find its own living, 

 even the cocks paying no attention or 

 showing any signs of gallantry toward 

 the hens, as it is simply a case of each 

 one looking out for self. 



From the many hardships which the 



