Plate 227
Havell XLI
Ruffed Grouse
(Bonasa umbellus)
Audubon mentioned in his text that he found this species most numerous in Pennsylvania and New York, and he apparently made this painting in one of those states in 1824. Two males, with outstretched wings, are shown at top; a female is shown below. The moss-covered stump beside the female was painted in oil, with the rest of the composition done in watercolor and pastel. Two plants appear in the painting—the toadshade (Trillium sessile) and the moonseed (Menispermum canadense), with its cluster of blue-black berries.
Source: The Original Water-Color Paintings by John James Audubon. Copyright 1966 by American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc.
Learn more about this print on the National Audubon Society's website.
Learn more about the Library's Audubon Collection.