Some First-Hand Grouse 
Observations 
(Continued from page 557) 
then the mound fell in and in its place 
a partridge raised up his head and 
neck. Then he hopped out, shook him- 
self, and flew up into a birch tree. I 
started to see if there were any more 
there and stirred out three more that 
were further in under the ree where 
there was no crust, for be it known 
that no crust forms in the deep woods 
unless the snow melts or it gets soft 
on top from sunshine or rain, as the 
wind doesn’t pack the snow in the thick 
brush. There is very. seldom any crust 
on the north side of a hill or a thick 
clump of trees. I have seen where 
foxes and wolves have dug the snow 
up to get the grouse and I once saw 
where a fox had been digging after a 
grouse, and I could see where the 
grouse had risen out of the snow about 
four feet from where the fox quit his 
digging and jumped for the grouse, but 
there were no feathers so I don’t think 
the fox got the grouse. 
Once while hunting, I stopped near 
a small clump of bushes to wait till my 
dog should run’a rabbit that way. 
While waiting there, I had the treat of 
my life. I was looking across an open 
space when a partridge flew across it 
down into the snow not more than ten 
feet from me and disappeared into the 
snow. Before I could get my breath, 
another and another came until seven 
had come to roost there in the snow. 
To have the good luck to see that is 
uncommon, as the grouse are finical 
about spectators when they are going 
to roost. I have seen them three other 
times at a distance do the same thing, 
but never close enough to see plainly 
but that once, and as near as I could 
make out, the grouse does not carry his 
head straight out when he hits the snow 
(as he does when flying) but holds his 
head well back and up so that the craw 
or breast strikes the snow first. ' The 
wings are folded or nearly so, not 
spread out as when they alight on the 
ground, and I am sure that they force 
their way through the snow a short 
distance from the place of entrance be- 
fore they curl down to sleep. I did 
not disturb those that alighted so close 
to me, as I knew that they had gone in 
there for protection, but I have looked 
closely at other such places and they 
always showed that the grouse had 
traveled from three to-eight feet after 
alighting in the snow and the snow al- 
ways filled in behind them. 
I think that they use their wings to 
1elp themselves ahead, and the wings 
apparently helped fill the space behind 
them as I have more than once found 
the marks where the wings were flut- 
ered, always at the end where they 
slept. I have found little tunnels they 
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