76 
THE BUFFED GROUSE. 
a rapid run, its head is lowered, the tail is more widely spread, and if no 
convenient hiding-place is at hand, it immediately takes flight with as much 
of the whirring sound as it can produce, as if to prove to the observer that, 
when on wing, it cares as little about him as the deer pretends to do, when, 
on being started by the hound, he makes several lofty bounds, and erects his 
tail to the breeze. Should the Grouse, however, run into a thicket, or even 
over a place where many dried leaves lie on the ground, it suddenly stops, 
squats, and remains close until the danger is over, or until it is forced by a 
dog or the sportsman himself to rise against its wish. 
The shooting of Grouse of this species is precarious, and at times very 
difficult, on account of the nature of the places which they usually prefer. 
Should, for instance, a covey of these birds be raised from amongst Laurels 
( Kalmia latifolia) or the largest species of Bay ( Rhododendron Maxi- 
mum ), these shrubs so intercept the view of them, that unless the sportsman 
proves quite an adept in the difficult art of pulling the trigger of his gun at 
the proper moment, and quickly, his first chance is lost, and the next is very 
uncertain. I say still more uncertain, because at this putting up of the 
birds, they generally rise higher over the bushes, flying in a straight course, 
whereas at the second start, they often fly among the laurels, and rise above 
them in a circuitous manner, when to follow them along the barrel of the 
gun is considerably more difficult. „ Sometimes, when these birds are found 
on the sides of a steep hill, the moment they start, they dive towards the 
foot of the declivity, take a turn, and fly off in a direction so different from 
the one expected, that unless the sportsman is aware of the trick, he may 
not see them again that day. The young birds often prove equally difficult 
to be obtained, for as they are raised from amongst the closely tangled 
laurels, they only fly a few yards, and again drop among them. A smart 
cur-dog generally proves the best kind on these occasions ; for no sooner 
does he start a covey of Ruffed Grouse than his barking alarms the birds as 
much as the report of a gun, and causes them to rise and alight on the 
nearest trees, on which they may be shot at with great success. 
This leads me to remark, that the prevailing notion which exists in almost 
every district where these birds are numerous, that on firing at the lowest 
bird perched on a tree, the next above will not fly, and that by continuing 
to shoot at the lowest in succession, the whole may be killed, is contradicted 
by my experience ; for on every attempt which I have made to shoot several 
in this manner on the same tree, my efforts have proved unsuccessful, unless 
indeed during a fall of snow, when I have killed three and sometimes four. 
The same cause produces the same effect on different birds. It may happen, 
however, that in districts covered with deep snow for several weeks, during 
severe winters, these birds, becoming emaciated and weak, may stand a 
