The San Francisco call., 1908-08-23
MogER GROUDE .
ON TIE EISG . a

IN an instant the brood was scatteTed
some IN the trees. some among the
bushes and leaves. and one huddled
under messy log.
Thirty feet away the mother fretted
about. scOlding US while we unpacked
the camera and took a picture OF one
saucy youngster, who, on convenient
limb sat as motionless as a part OF
the tree itself while his portrait was
being taken.
As this Is true story IL must end
here, We do not know that we ever
saw the mother and chicks again.
But by watching innumerable broods
Of the young ruffed grouse In the wilds
we know some interesting facts about
their habits and lives well worth read
ing.
From five te twelve eggs are laid.
usually late IN May and in early June
Three weeks from the day the setting
begins. the chicks are hatched.
The male grouse has no part in car
ing for the brood
The chicks follow the mother about
three months. when they are full grown
and one BY. one desert and probably
forget her.
This kind OF grouse is seldom found
far from water during the summer In
the winter he seeks the tops OF the
DaSSWOOQS trees
and nips on the tender buds when the
weather will permit.
There is then little sap in the twigs
and they cannot freeze as the trunk
and larger limbs sometimes do
In the absence Of other food this
grouse will eat the leaves and buds OF
the white fir and spruce as does his
cousin, the spruce hen or Franklin
grouse. We have seen them fly into
- a g.
buds.
While large part Of their food is
vegetable, they do sometimes eat bugs
just as a domestic hen will do. They
seem fond OF tender young clover. win
tergreen berries, snowdrop berries,
ripe and dried raspberries and in fact
all edible berries.
wild roses and the leaves OF the noun
tain laurel In fact. they eat almost
everything. Buds and leaves and bark
and fruit are all in their menu
The rufred grouse is the fellow
whose drumming sounds-boom-boom
--boon-boorn- - boom
--boom-boom-boDm boom
boom om-boombcomboomboom through tho
forests.
why he drums we are not wise
enough 10 discover. although we have
many times seen him ar II.
Beginning In the spring and becom-
Ing most frequent IN May and June, in
parts OF the country where he lives, his
drum may be heard at intervals even
late IN the fall
He does not always drum when his
hen Is near. nor does she come at NJ
drumming. so II seems hardly likely
that this Is q mating call. Neither
does a rival grouse answer the sum-
mons either In kind or by coming to
the scene Of action. This disproves the
theory that this Is challenge 70 other
grouse OF his sex.
Perhaps he does 10 Just for pure fun
Who shall say7
Where does he go in very cold
weather?
II the snow is light and soft. h.
sails down from his perch IN the trees
and plunges into the snow out o.
sight.
Here be stays warm and snug until
the weather changes
Sometimes 1t happens that he is
caught In his snowy retreat BY q
prowling fox or lynx. and then his
fate is more merciful than when a
crust Is formed above him and he
slowly starves TO death in his white
prison
Probably no other game bird IN
America Is so widely distributed as this
one. He is found from Maine TO Wash
ington and from the Ohio river to
Hudson bay. He thrives IN small
woodlands as well as large and should
be protected and encouraged FOR his
beauty ana utility.