. Feathered game of the Northeast . s tailerect and widespread to its fullest extent, thensuddenly dropping it and pressing it closely tothe log, his short, powerful and deeply con-caved wings beat a continuous roll, slowly atfirst, but rapidly increasing in speed and vol-ume, then dying away again. This noisesounds like the rumble of far-off thunder andmay be heard a long distance on a still manner in which this drumming is pro-duced was a question for a long time undecided,many different theories being advanced. Theold idea was that he struck his wings upon ahollow log, but if this w
. Feathered game of the Northeast . s tailerect and widespread to its fullest extent, thensuddenly dropping it and pressing it closely tothe log, his short, powerful and deeply con-caved wings beat a continuous roll, slowly atfirst, but rapidly increasing in speed and vol-ume, then dying away again. This noisesounds like the rumble of far-off thunder andmay be heard a long distance on a still manner in which this drumming is pro-duced was a question for a long time undecided,many different theories being advanced. Theold idea was that he struck his wings upon ahollow log, but if this were the case how doeshe drum upon stones, sound logs, or the toprail of a fence? The solution most generallyaccepted is that this strange music is caused bythe vibration of the stiff quill feathers in theirrapid motion through the air, these never touch-ing the body. The sound is very difficult tolocate and from its peculiarly muffled tone ac-curate judgment of the performers distance isalmost impossible. The bird will use the same. U] a:O a. Qi THE RUFFED GROUSE 25 spot for bis drumming for a long time, comingday after day to his chosen station. One olddrumming log is still in use near where I amwriting, although the screen of spruces for-merly protecting it has been cut down thesethree years and it is now fifty yards to the near-est cover. Mr. Grouse, if he survives the perilsof the fall months, will return next season; ifnot, another will take the stump in the goodcause and continue the business at the old courtship over and happily ended, thehen builds her nest in some secluded and safelyhidden nook and begins housekeei^ing. Herhome is a very modest affair, quite unpreten-tious. On the ground, in the shelter of a fall-en tree or in the shadow of a juniper bush asmall depression is rounded out and lined withleaves, grass and dry pine needles—very littleof the artistic but all for convenience and util-ity—simplicity itself. It contains from sevento sixteen eggs,
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectgameandgamebirds
