,738 G R O U S.
8. +- EUfFED GR.
D escription.
Place and
Manners.
Tetrao nmbellus, Lin, SjJ?. i. p. 275. 6.
La Gelinotte hupee de Penfilvanie, Brif. or*, i. p. 214. i t .
Le Coq de Bruyere a fraife, Buf. oi/. ii. p. 28;,
Ruffed Heathcock, Ed™. pi. 248.-P h il. Tran/, vol. alviii. p. 499. pi. , j . _
Arft. Zoolo
Br. Mu/. Lev. Mu/.
g I Z E between a ' Pheafant and Partridge: length twenty
inches. Bill brownilh horn-colour : the head crefted; that,
and all the upper parts, variegated with different-coloured browns*
mused with black : the feathers on the neck are long, and loofe
and can be erefted like thofe of the Cock , throat, and fore part o f
the neck, orange brown : the reft of the parts beneath yellowilh
white, marked with a few curved black marks on the breaft and
Tides : under tail coverts pale orange, fpotted with white: the
quills are fpotted with pale brown, otherwife like the back: as is
the tail, which conlifts of eighteen feathers; all 0f which are
crofted with narrow bars of black, and one broad band of the
fame near the t ip ; the end itfelf afh-colour : the legs are covered
to the toes with whitifh hairs: toes flefli-colour, and
pectinated on the fides.
One of thefe now in my pofleffion, which I fufpeffc to be a
female, is much paler in the markings: the tail alh-colour, crofted
with dulky bars, and mottled with the fame between each bar ■
the broad band near the end of a chefnut brown inftead o f
black.
This fpeeies inhabits Penfylvania, New York, Nova Scotia, and
other parts of North America-, and is by no means the male of
J the
the Shoulder-knot, as Buffon * fuppofes, nor belonging at any
rate to the followings all three being quite different fpeeies.
Thfc manners feem much the fame with the Black Cock and
Wood Greus; the male placing himfelf on fome elevated flump,
and flapping his wings for a minutes he repeats the fame at
feven or eight minutes interval for feveral times, and elevating
2 ° f the head and neck a11 together, in the attitude which
Sdwards has happily imitated. This he repeats morning and
evening, at nine and fours and the fignal is obeyed by the fe-
maies, as in the birds above-mentioned. During this ecftacy he
is blind to the approach of the fportfmans who may take his aim
with leifure, being direfted to the bird by the noife, which may
be heard a mile off. The male repeats this flapping in autumn t.
The female is faid to lay from twelve to fixteen eggs, on the
ground, in a dry place among leaves s the young follow the
mother like chickens j and the whole brood keep together till
nature prompts them to provide for an offspring of 'their
own. They feed on all forts o f grain and fruits, and, above all,
are fa.d to be fond of ivy-berries. The flelh is well relilhed, and
good food. They are called by fome the Drumming Partridge.
• T " a r r ’ ,he d°e* this « tiuies as weli as
in the breed.ng-feafon ; and that he begins die flapping at firft very flow, and
mcreafing bydegrees t.il he arrives at a ftupendous velocity; after which he
ceafes, and ersavr like our CM PEea/ane ; after an interval, begins again. Thi
aftionis only at fun-rife and fun-fet; and will do the fame if kept Le in the
5 B 2 Teïraç