The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-09-04
4 POPULAR GAME BIRD.
The Grouse q Great Favorite With
Sportsmen and Also in the
Market.
He IL, However. Ono Of the Hard
est Flyers to Bring
Down.
Description Of the BiSyi, Its Characteristics
On Wing and 1t Rest-Matlng
Season.


On Wing and 1t Rest-Mating
Season.
The open season for grouse in Missouri
opened Aug. Is. but in Illinois the date ID
Sept. IL. Gunners all over the latter state,
however, have been at work during the past
two weeks. with birds reported very plenty.
The grouse in the west is generally called
the prairie chicken, and, after the quail,
holds warm place in the fancy Of every
sportsman. II abounds from New Bruns-
wick to the remote western prairies, and
from Canada to the Southern States, says a
writer in the St. Louis Globe Democrat,
keeping u tho south to the high or noun
famous lands. It is the most alert of all
the game birds. The shape Of its body and
the pose of its head indicates robustness,
both in walking and flying, and wonderful
quickness, in observation. It's small, crest
ed head turns with constant vigilance, and
its full brown eye is expressive Of great
power of vision. and seems to reflect the
landscape Immediately after death. Its
wings are short and curved, beating the air
with great rapidity and giving it an exceed
ingly rapid flight.
The length of the bird is about eighteen
inohes-its full weight twenty-five ounces.
Its color is light brown, mottled with
darker brown or black. 1t wears slight
crest, which it can elevate at pleasure. Its
tail is short and rounded, with q nearly
continuous black bar crossing it near the
tip. Its legs are feathered with q hairy
feather, and are we'll proportioned, SO that
the bird stands high and runs with speed
and endurance. It wears a ruff on its neck,
made BY the elonRation OF half dozen
glossy black feathers on each side of the
neck, which it can elevate or depress at
pleasure. and from which it takes it's name
Of ruled grouse. These feathers, as we'll as
its other exterior feathers, are dark brown
or chestnut, or ,ashy gray, varying much
those in countries farthest north and east
being the darkest and most ashy. In the
western birds the color is more rufous.
These differences of color have induced
some writer's to note three varieties of
ruffed grouse; but it would seem as it these
differences Of color are produced by local
coast having marked variety of color.
Authors have named one variety as the
Sabines grouse of Oregon, and another as
the Arctic ruffed grouse of the Arctic re-
gions.
In the breeding season the cocks select
some hollow fallen tree, and strutting up
and down, beat it with their wings, making
a muf1ed. drumming sound that can be
heard for half mile. The beat is at irreg-
hlar intervals beginning slowly and meas
uredly and gradually increasing in quick
ness until it ends in roll. If the bird sue
and well-placed, his tattoo of welcome can
be heard a mile and is one of the pleasant
est of woodland sounds. It has the same
duration as the call of the raccoon, and ia
only heard in the daytime, as the raccoon's
is only heard at night. When it's mate
and, coquettishly picking at seeds she does
not want. comes within sight of the drum
ming-log. No maiden is seemingly moe
unconscious of the man she desires to attract
than is this russell dame of her gallant mu-
sician: A SNAIL is on the May-apple plant
right before her; she pecks at it three times
before hitting it, and then scratches neg
ligently at imaginary sesds. The cock raises
his ruff until it klooks like Queen Eliza
beth's; the yellow skin beneath fushes with
pride; he spreads his tail like fan; he
thrums his guitar, clucks an introductory
welcome or two. and launches himself out
and flies to his bride. If, however, another
cock hears the drumming he feels insulted
at the sound on what he considers his own
possessinns. With a w-h-i-z he dashes at
the drummer, and it becomes case Of
might making right" =,
female builds rough nest of twigs and
grass on the ground, and lays from ten
to twelve eggs in it. These hatch in June,
the young reaching their growth by Octo-
Der. Until the chicks. can look after them
selves the mother is eternal vigilance itself.
are unceasing, and in time Of danger the
real intelligence and understanding dis
played is wonderful. At one warning cluck
from her the brood scatters in the thick
brush while she takes different direction,
futtering along slowly to attract attention
and pursuit to herself. But when the
chase has been sufficiently diverted from
the young, she disappears like a fash into
the dark woods.
The true shooting season begins in the
crisp and golden autumn, when brown
leaves carpet the ground, and the wind is
cool and exhiliarating. 1t needs quick eye
and sure hand to follow the grouse with
thrill when the bird starts up before the
dogs point, and, with quick, strong wing,
takes flight. Ne bird that flies is more often
missed.
The spruce grouse OF Canada grouse ID
smaller than the ruffed grouse, its length
being about sixteen inches, and its full weight
sixteen ounces: Its range seems to be north
the state Of New York, and extending
through all of Canada and to Bafin's Bay.
The color of the cock is dark brown or gray
interpreted with black, each feather hav-
ing three cross-bars of a still darker gray.
On Its breast is large angular or crescent
ing up the neck: Its throat is black direct
ly under the bill, and is nottled further
down by little white feathers, and still
larger white feathers patch its breast. Its
legs are feathered, but its toes are bare. as
are all of this genus. The hen il ouieter in
color, mottled all over in red and brown.
It has the habit of its race of making a
drumming noise with its wings, but seems
to do it by repeated blows on its own body,
and sometimes makes this noise when In
the air. Some authors note another bird
of this one. The tail feathers being oar
and under tail coverts being tipped with
panied by any difference of structure or
habit, seem to be of no importance to the
ordinary reader. or to the sportsman.
The spruce grouse makes it, nest ON the
ground. generally sheltered by some low
evergreen bush, and lays fifteen or twenty
buff or fawn-colored eggs, spotted with
brown. Often, when one is fishing from .
canoe in some of the narrow brooks in
Maine or Canada. q brood Of these birds
may be seen treadinR their way among the
bushes, or, if the weather 10 warm, coming
to the water to drink, 60 tame are they IN
remote regions where man 10 rarely met.
The pinnated grouse, Or prairie-fovl, u