As he was reloading his gun, we heard at a distance a
singular noise, like a muffled drum, mingled with the sound made in
sharpening a saw. It might be savages; and we plunged into a thicket,
and there discovered the cause of the noise in a brilliant green bird,
seated on the withered trunk of a tree. It spread its wings and tail,
and strutted about with strange contortions, to the great delight of its
mates, who seemed lost in admiration of him. At the same time, he made
the sharp cry we heard, and, striking his wing against the tree,
produced the drum-like sound. I knew this to be the _ruffed grouse_, one
of the greatest ornaments of the forests of America. My insatiable
hunter soon put an end to the scene; he fired at the bird, who fell
dead, and his crowd of admirers, with piercing cries, took to flight.
I reprimanded my son for so rashly killing everything we met with
without consideration, and for the mere love of destruction. He seemed
sensible of his error, and, as the thing was done, I thought it as well
to make the best of it, and sent him to pick up his game.
"What a creature!" said he, as he brought it; "how it would have figured
in our poultry-yard, if I had not been in such a hurry."
We went on to our sledge in the Gourd Wood, and, as the morning was not
far advanced, we determined to leave all here, and proceed in our
projected excursion beyond the chain of rocks.
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