244 
ORDERS OF BIRDS— UPLAND GAME-BIRDS 
the Ruffed Grouse should be called by that name, 
and no other! It is called “Ruffed” because of 
the ruff of feathers that it wears just in front of 
its shoulders, and under the name “ Redruff ” 
this bird has been most charmingly introduced 
by Mr. Ernest Thompson Seton to many thou- 
sand readers who never had known it previously. 
This Grouse is in every respect a forest-bird. 
Its ideal home is mixed forest of hardwood and 
coniferous trees, with the white-tailed deer and 
EASTERN RUFFED GROUSE. 
gray squirrel for company. Its home extends 
from Massachusetts and northern New York to 
northern Georgia, and westward very sparingly 
beyond the Mississippi to the Dakotas. Besides 
being beautiful, it is a bird of interesting habits, 
and its flesh is entirely too fine for its own good. 
In size it is smaller than the pinnated grouse, or 
prairie-chicken, but in intelligence it is second 
to no other grouse living. 
The prevailing color of the Ruffed Grouse is 
rusty brown, but the mottlings of black, gray 
and white defy intelligent description. Open 
or shut, the tail is a dream — cross-barred, band- 
ed and mottled most exquisitely. It is no 
wonder that the male bird is fond of strutting, 
with spread tail; but besides this it has a still 
more effective means of attracting the female. 
It perches on a log, secures a good grip with its 
feet, then beats the air with its wings until you 
hear at the end of the performance a long, quiv- 
ering resonance disturbing the solitude, like 
beating upon a Hindoo tom-tom. 
The beats start slowly, but quickly increase in 
rapidity to the end, thus: “ Dum!-dum!-dum!- 
dum-dum-dumdumdumdum.” The bird does not 
beat the log, and it does not beat its own sides. 
Thoreau declares that its wings strike together 
behind its back! This “drumming” of the 
Ruffed Grouse is heard oftenest in spring, and 
is a signal to the female ; but it is also heard oc- 
casionally in summer and autumn. 
This Grouse is a strong flier, and gets up be- 
fore the hunter with such a tremendous “ burr - 
r-r-r” of wings, and goes off so explosively, that 
it takes a quick eye and hand to bring it down. 
It can dash off through timber like a feathered 
rocket, dodging trees and branches, and zig- 
zaging in all directions leading away from danger, 
with a degree of speed and certainty that is really 
marvellous. No wonder the young hunter who 
kills one, fairly and squarely, feels proud of his 
skill, and hastens away to have the trophy 
mounted for his den. 
Unfortunately, in most eastern states, where 
the Ruffed Grouse should hold its own for a hun- 
dred years, this bird is doomed to complete ex- 
tinction — unless its sale for the table is immedi- 
ately and effectually stopped! So long as it is 
lawful to sell it, pot-hunters will shoot it, and 
snare it, in season and out of season, as “food” 
for the already over-fed patrons of fashionable 
hotels and restaurants of the large cities. As 
food for the hungry, this beautiful bird is not 
needed in the least. As a means of inducing 
thousands of brain-weary men to take health- 
ful exercise in the woods, it will serve a highly 
useful and important purpose — if not meanly 
and foolishly exterminated. 
The following subspecies, closely related to 
the typical Ruffed Grouse, are found in North 
America : 
The Oregon, or Sabine’s Grouse, is found on 
the mountains of the Pacific coast, west of the 
Coast Range, from northern British Columbia 
to California. This species possesses rich red 
plumage, and is quite beautiful. 
The Canadian Ruffed Grouse belongs to 
Canada and Maine, but in the Northwest it 
ranges south of the international boundary. 
The Gray Ruffed Grouse inhabits the Rocky 
Mountains from the Yukon to Colorado. 
The Dusky Grouse 1 is a conspicuous type 
which inhabits the Rocky Mountains from 
Idaho and Montana to Arizona. Its other 
1 Den-drag' a-pus ob-scu'rus. Average length of 
male, about 21 inches; female, 18 inches. 
