/ The next morning I started out early to skate 
around an unfrequented pond near the Kliode ^ 
Island line. While driving up the South Kill- 
ingly Hill, a ijartri^e Hew down the mountain 
with incredible speed and momentum, sweeping 
the lines from my hand in a twinkling, and 
plumping down into the brush below the road. 
It was like an electric shock, and all over in a 
second. While I got out on the shafts to check 
the startled horse and recover the reins, my 
assailant got off scot free. If it had struck one 
foot back in the carriage it would have broken 
all the bones in my hand, but its object seemed 
to be accomplished in neatly sweeping the lines 
from my fingers. Who, after this, will say that 
the Ruffed Grouse has never played cat’s cradle? 
or deny that the birds up here appear to be 
“getting onto” me? Perhaps these Windham 
County birds will make common cause with my 
old New London County Buteos, which seem to 
recognize me the moment I first reconnoitre in 
the spring, and, from a safe poise in the blue 
empyrean, challenge my entrance into their 
haunts with, “Pee-ho! heigh-ho! .1. M. W., J. 
M. W. ! hide our eggs ! change our nests ! heigh- 
ho! pee-ho, pee-ho!” J. M. W. 
Norwich, Conn. 
[ iSjl . 
'D®0,s:yi, March. 1891, p, 3 % 
GREENWOOD’S GLEANINGS. 
Killed by an Engine. 
The presence of intestinal worms in ruffed grouse 
has already been noted this season, and as the same 
thing was observed last year sportsmen are wondering 
I how much this has to do with the scarcity of this fa- 
vorite game bird. 
Dr. E. G. Hoit of Marlboro, Mass., who is an intel- 
' ligent and observing sportsman, sends me specimens 
of these intestinal worms which he took from a ruffed 
grouse shot last week, and they are similar to those 
found in grouse last year. The worms sent us are of 
various lengths, evidently from an undeveloped worm 
to one fully grown. The seemingly matured specimen 
is about three inches in length ; in thickness is the 
size of a knitting needle ; and in color white when they 
reached me in a bottle of alcohol. The worms are ta- 
pered to a sharp point at each end, with neither head 
nor tail perceptible. There are smaller specimens of 
j worms, varying in size down to those scarcely larger 
; than a human hair. 
’ Last year Mr. H. E. Tuck, the well-known rifleman 
; of Haverhill, Mass., and who is also a keen brush shot, 
' killed a brace of ruffed grouse, and on returning home 
cleaned the birds and placed them in his cellar. On 
the following morning he sought the birds, intending 
to cook them for breakfast. He was surprised to find 
; these long white worms on the flesh of the grouse, and 
I the birds were thrown away. When Mr. Tuck re ated 
his experience to me I thought the worms must have 
been the intestinal worms which had crawled out upon 
the flesh, from not being thoroughly cleaned. I have 
R55I 
TG. 
j never heard of such worms being found in the flesh of 
grouse. 
Will some naturalist, etymologically inclined, en- 
lighten sportsmen, and tell us if this worm is one of 
the reasons for the scarcity of ruffed grouse in New 
England ? 
A friend of mine informs me that while on a collect- 
ing trip in California a few years ago, he found one of 
the species of sandpipers which often had these intes- 
tinal worms, but the birds appeared to be in good con- 
dition. There seems to me no doubt that they would 
ultimately cause the death of a bird. 
One evening in September last, after the 
arrival of the last train from Boston, drawn by 
the Gen. Meade, in charge of the familiarly 
known engineer and fireman, Al. Franklin and 
Andy Meikle, a Ruffed Grouse was found in 
the cow-catcher, still warm. As they came 
through a small belt of woods between Conway 
and North Conway it is supposed the bird was 
flying across the track and a little from the , 
train, as she was struck in the back. | 
THE GkOTJSE in the 
submerged to the head m wa a very 
. escape its cruel Jjce we mav believe, and 
interesting and rare , , possession by animals 
whateverWrs may ^tlaCXtTs termed in- 
and birds ^Ln^ the action of .the 
stinct, I am firmly oI the P “ ^ intelligent reasoning, 
bird in question ® the hard eMth, but into a 
It did not dash Itself ^ and cover it, and 
i medium that it sitaation totally foreign to 
* there it We can Ssily understand why a 
its natural habits. ^® ®f“ „„„/the eagle, for there it 
duck should take to ®tpr Fs XabrSad. Whether 
is at home, but a Y-°TdF I know not. They seek the 
grouse bathe to drink ^and in so doing this grou^se 
streams and pools to ’ impression that this j 
may have received if /°“® J„Yn time of danger. Why i 
medium would prove a retug a-rouse’ It is as I 
Sdn’t the hawk Plfff. fm ^e^o under- 
reasonable to claim that it is as natura ^ 
stand the “l®®®f®!vP 00^6^ We are just going to 
believe in iYv,^™*®'uLidiml erouse put reason into his 
believe that this md g .^y^were more accus- 
action. Iks better th^ way. it might lead 
tomed to look at such , , ^ mercy. And the 
us to temper love field sports struck me 
cruelty '^bich is inseparable fio n^a p f^er 
with much fej®® YFook that trSing, terrified bird 
shooting Y® tmsting and admirable way escaped 
wliicli had in such at it-a pruel enemy, and now 
the wicked beak and talons of crue^l ®e 
with pleading eyes abo jyjj.. Bishop, I 
took thetird fFom^its refuge and coolly wrung its 
S-O.'O. S.^ 
