THE PRAIRIE HEN. 
■ fe jUTTALL says that, choosing 
I J particular districts for resi- 
I I dence, this species of Grouse 
~\-P is is far less common than 
its Ruffed relative. It 
is often called Prairie Chicken and 
Pinnated Grouse. Confined to dry, 
barren, and bushy tracts of small 
extent, these birds are in many places 
now wholly or nearly exterminated. 
They are still met with on the Grouse 
plains of "New Jersey, on Long Island, in 
parts of Connecticut, and in the Island 
of Martha's Vineyard. Mr. Nuttall 
was informed that they were so com- 
mon on the ancient bushy site of the 
city of Boston that laboring people 
or servants stipulated with their em- 
ployers not to have the Heath Hen 
brought to table oftener than a few 
times in the week. They are still 
common in the western states, but 
thirty years ago we saw vast numbers 
of them on the plains of Kansas. As 
there were no railroads then, they 
could not be sent to market, and were 
only occasionally eaten by the inhab- 
itants. The immense wheat fields 
which have been sown for a number 
of years past have largely increased 
this species, where they assemble in 
flocks, and are the gleaners of the 
harvest. 
Early in the morning Grouse may 
be seen flying everywhere, from one 
alone to perhaps a thousand together. 
They alight in the cornfields. " Look! 
Yonder comes a dozen ; they will fly- 
right over you; no, they swerve fifty 
yards to one side and pass you like 
bullets; single out your bird, hold four 
feet in front of him, and when he is 
barely opposite cut loose. Following 
the crack of the gun you hear a sharp 
whack as the shot strike, and you 
have tumbled an old cock into the 
grass. You have of course marked 
down as many of the birds as possible; 
let them feed an hour and then drive 
them up. They will rise very wild, 
and the only object in flushing them 
is to see them down where they will 
take their noon-day siesta." 
On the prairies they are often shot 
from a wagon, the hunter remaining 
seated, so plentiful are they in remote 
districts. Near the towns very few 
are seen. The birds always seem to 
prefer the low ground in a field. They 
are rarely seen during the middle of 
the day, as they do not move about 
much. It is a fine sight to see a large 
flock of chickens rise on the wing and 
fly swiftly and steadily for several 
hundred yards. When they drop in 
the grass they separate and run in 
every direction. Like the Quail, in 
the inclemency of winter they ap- 
proach the barn, "basking and perch- 
ing on the fences, occasionally ven- 
turing to mix with the poultry in their 
repast, and are then often taken in 
traps." They feed on buds and mast, 
sometimes leaves and the buds of the 
pine. In wintry storms they seek 
shelter in the evergreens, but in spring 
and summer they often roost on the 
ground in company. These birds be- 
gin pairing in March or April. Mr. 
Nuttall's account of this interesting 
period (see his Hand-book of Ornith- 
ology — Little, Brown & Co.) — is as fol- 
lows: " At this time the behavior 
of the male becomes remarkable. 
Early in the morning he comes forth 
from his bushy roost and struts about 
with a curving neck, raising his ruff, 
expanding his tail like a fan, and 
seeming to mimic the ostentation of 
the Turkey. He now seeks out or 
meets his rival, and several pairs at a 
time, as soon as they become visible 
through the dusky dawn, are seen 
preparing for combat. Previously to 
this encounter, the male, swelling out 
his throat, utters what is called a toot- 
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