are black; but if you observe
closely, this kind--the willow-grouse--has the bill much stronger and
less flattened. Besides, it is a larger bird than the other, which is
'the rock-grouse.' Both are sometimes, though erroneously, called
'ptarmigan;' but they are not the true ptarmigan--such as exist in North
Europe--though these last are also to be met with in the Northern parts
of America. The ptarmigan are somewhat larger than either of these
kinds, but in other respects differ but little from them.

"The habits of the 'rock' and 'willow' grouse are very similar. They are
both birds of the snowy region, and are found as far north as has been
explored. The willow-grouse in winter keep more among the trees, and are
oftener met with in wooded countries; whereas the others like best to
live in the open ground, and, from your statement, it appears you found
each kind in its favourite haunt."

"Just so," said Francois. "After leaving here, I kept down the valley,
and was just crossing an open piece of high ground, when I espied the
white hawk, or falcon as you call it, hovering in the air as I'd often
seen hawks do. Well, I stopped and hid behind a rock, thinking I might
have a chance to put a few drops into him. All at once he appeared to
stand still in the air, and, then closing his wings, shot down like an
arrow. Just then I heard a loud '_whur-r-r_,' and up started a whole
covey of white partridges--grouse, I should say--the same as this you
call the 'rock-grouse.' I saw that the hawk had missed the whole of
them, and I marked them as they flew off.

"They pitched about a hundred yards or so, and then went plunge under
the snow--every one of them making a hole for itself just like where one
had poked their foot in! I guess, boys, this looked funny enough. I
thought I would be sure to get a shot at some of these grouse as they
came out again; so I walked straight up to the holes they had made, and
stood waiting. I still saw the hawk hovering in the air, about an
hundred yards ahead of me.

"I was considering whether I ought to go farther on, and tramp the birds
out of the snow; for I believed, of course, they were still under the
place where the holes were. All at once I noticed a movement on the
crust of the snow right under where the hawk was flying, and then that
individual shot down to the spot, and disappeared under the snow! At the
same instant, the crust broke in several places, and up came the grouse
one after