242 
FRANK FORESTER’S FIELD SPORTS. 
finding themselves unable to run, and will lie, on such occa¬ 
sions, till they are literally kicked up. 
I have never, in all my experience of shooting in this coun¬ 
try, seen this occur but twice; and in fact the bird is so seldom 
found in lowland country, that I consider it utterly useless to 
go out in pursuit of Ruffed Grouse, except as an adjunct with 
other birds of bolder and freer wing. 
One of the instances I have alluded to above, is perhaps not 
unworthy of notice, as I believe it to be almost unique ; for I 
have met no sportsman who has seen any thing of the sort 
occur with the Ruffed Grouse, though with the Prairie Hen it 
often happens. It occurred during early autumn shooting, on 
the second or third of November, immediately after the law of 
New-Jersey permits this bird and the Quail to be shot; and 
Woodcock had not as yet forsaken the country. I was beating 
for game in general, but rather with a view to Cock than any 
other bird, in a long, narrow swale, between a steep ridge and 
an open meadow, along the edge of which my companion was 
walking, while I myself made good the whole width of the 
alder coppice with my dogs. Suddenly both the Setters came 
to a dead point at a small patch of thick briars and brambles 
close to the meadow fence, and, on my walking up to them, 
finding that nothing moved, I took it for granted that it was a 
Hare, and called out to my friend to look out, as I would beat 
it out to him. On kicking the briars, however, to my great 
surprise a very fine Ruffed Grouse, a cock bird, rose within 
ten feet of me, and flew directly across me toward the hill. 
Unfortunately, my friend fired at the bird across me, contrary 
to all rules of sportsmanship, so that two charges were wasted 
on this bird ; for immediately, at the report, three more birds 
rose out of the same brake, two of which flew across him over 
the open meadow, both of which he must have killed had he 
reserved his fire, as he should have done, while the third follow¬ 
ed the cock across the swale to the ridge, till I stopped him. 
Taking it for granted that all the birds must have gone now, 
four barrels having been fired directly over the thicket in whicl 
