Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1892-01-22
HUNTING RUFFED GROUSE.
Bird of Peculiar Ways-~Taxing the
Markmans Skill.

Bird of Peculiar Ways~Taxing the
Markman's Skill.
Tke flight of the ruffea grouse or
partridge is sometime SO peculiar and
varied that there seems to be as much
difference in individuals land perhaps
with these same individuals at differ
ent times and under different circum'
stances), as there is in the gait of Ger.
tain animals.
If, In thick clover, we happen to sud-
denly come upon bird we see it for a
moment before it flies. 1t seldom al
lows us to watch its movements long,
however if the bird is upon the ground,
Almost as soon as discovered the bird
makes a movement to get out of oul
sight, but when this movement is first
made, who can tell what Is coming
next? 1t may take two or three short
flaps with its wings and "scoot' not
more than two or three feet from the
ground, through the underbrush for
thirty or forty yards, then drop and
sneak away as silently as the fall OF
night Again, it may hop up into the
air, spread its wings aud sail into the
lower limbs of some tree thirty or forty
feet away, alighting near the trunk
and standing there as motionless as a
statue. have seen them start in this
noiseless manner and sail out of the un
derbrush on ridge, then take turn
and fly away into the valley below
some three hundred yards, and had
not been looking at the bird l should
not have known that it started Thi:
is often their mode of procedure wher
they are little disturbed, or as have
sometimes thought when the weather
was favorable for this kind Of flight
have noticed this more when there was
little or no wind, or when the woods
were quieter than at other times anc
have often seen them sail out of the un
derbrush in this noiseless manner, on
the crest of q wooden hill, set theii
pinions and sail with hardly flap O.
the wings, away down to the bottom
and alight in pine or other evergreen
tree.
But let us go over the ground again
tomorrow and note the result The
bird is seen running along the ground
perhaps in an old wood road. 1t run
for ten or twelve feet and then breaks
away with roar, leaving cloud o
leaves behind it that would almos
blind one, were he in their midst. The
bird continues its mad career, slap
and tears through the twigs anc
branches for fifty or sixty yards, ant
alights upon the ground again A grea
deal of noise and fuss has been made
but the bird really seems to be les
alarmed than before, and nine time
out of every ten have found it an cas-
ier task to find the bird than when i
sneaked away so quietly. have found
as rule, that the old cocks make ;
great deal more fuss and racket in thei
| flight than the hens; they seem to TAX
a fixed course and keep it, while tn
hen may double upon her fight two o
three times before she alights, and thel
probably go into tree, while the oil
cock seems to think the ground goo
enough for him. Their fight is apt t.
be longer late in the season unless GOV
er is found at once, as in pine or hem
lock swamps, and if snow is on tn
ground the bird is apt to tree,
Their habit Of flight differs somewha
in different localities, and have know
persons that were expert in huntin!
and finding them in the southern par
of New England to find themselves "al
at sea" when they tried 1t in the north
Their food supply is the one thing t
study in the morning and evening, an
is considerably varied. When we xii
one and find the crop filed with grape
and thorn apples we do not look fo
them upon the hardwood ridges, but
we find their crops full of beech nut
we expect to find the bird on hig
ground in the latter part of tn
day When about to choose il
roosting place for the night the bir
is apt to make long fight, and then
short one to it's perch, which may be j
low pine, not more than six feet fror
the ground, or may be near the top of
small hemlock or spruce, many fee
away from the earth below. While
have made many observations on tn
flight of this bird, / have found moth
ing that could be put down as an "iror
clad" fixed rule and their habits var
SO in different localities that it is somt
what difficult to tell what bird is g
ing to do even after it has its fligl
we'll started If alarmed we seldol
know where to look for it unless mari
ed down; but if not au idea may l
correctly drawn regarding its fight,
one is familiar with the ground.
cago Press.