660 
GALLINACEOUS BIRDS. 
inflated bladder with a stick, the jealous male, full of 
anger, rushes forth from his concealment, and falls an 
easy prey to the wily sportsman. 
Some time in May, the female selects some thicket or 
the side of a fallen log, in a dense part of the woods, for 
the situation of her nest. This is formed merely of a 
handful of withered leaves, collected from the surround- 
ing and similar surface of the ground. The eggs, 10 to 
15, more or less, are of an uniform dull yellowish color. 
The young run about as soon as hatched, and in about a 
week or 10 days are able in some degree to make use of 
their wings. The mother now leads them out in search 
of their appropriate and delicate food, and broods them at 
night beneath her wings, like the common hen ; she like- 
wise defends them by every stratagem which affection 
can contrive. On the appearance of an enemy, she sim- 
ulates lameness to impose on the unwelcome spectator ; 
while the young themselves squat on the ground, by 
which they are secured, from their similarity to its surface. 
During summer, these birds are fond of basking and 
dusting themselves, and for this purpose are now and 
then seen in the public roads. When flushed, and on 
the instant of rising from the ground, the bird usually 
utters a cackling note, quickly repeated about half a 
dozen times, and also before rising utters a very peculiar 
lisping whistle. Like the Ptarmigan, the Ruffed Grous, 
when alarmed in winter, is frequently known to plunge 
into the soft snow, and burrow out at such a distance as 
frequently to elude the pursuit of the hunter. Besides 
other successful methods of destruction which await the 
devoted Grous, snares and traps of various kinds are em- 
ployed to arrest them. They are even smoked to death, 
in the same manner as the Wild Pigeons, in the western 
country, while sleeping harmlessly and unsuspectingly on 
