GROUSE AND WILD TURKEYS OF THE UNITED STATES, AND 



THEIR ECONOMIC VALUE. 



INTRODUCTION. 



From the early settlement of America until the present day the 

 size, toothsome qualities, and handsome appearance of the grouse and 

 wild turkeys have given them a place among the most widely known 

 and appreciated of our native birds. Throughout the conquest of the 

 continent they served to eke out the scanty larder of the pioneer, and 

 under the changed conditions of more recent times have taken an 

 established place among the most prized luxuries of the table. Their 

 habits are interesting alike to the country boy and the city sportsman, 

 and both share in the keen pleasure of their pursuit. Their presence 

 on the farm or in woodland is directly beneficial, owing to their 

 destruction of harmful insects. 



Twelve species of grouse occur within the limits of the United 

 States, including Alaska. They inhabit the most varied country, 

 from the rich prairies of the Mississippi Valley, through the heavily 

 forested areas of the Eastern and Northern States, to above timber 

 line on the desolate summits of mountain ranges and over dreary 

 wastes of arctic tundra. While less beautifully marked than some 

 of the quails, all the grouse are adorned with pleasing colors, and the 

 males of the two species, the prairie hen and ruffed grouse, wear 

 curiously shaped ornamental tufts of feathers on the sides of the neck. 

 Some species have sacs on the neck, which they inflate to make the 

 love notes more sonorous. The males of several species have over the 

 eyes fleshy combs that are concealed by the feathers except in the 

 mating season, when they become brightly colored and are erected to 

 form conspicuous and attractive ornaments. These combs are espe- 

 cially noticeable in both the dusky grouse and the ptarmigans. 



The grouse may be arranged in three groups according to the kind 

 of country they occupy. The group of the open plains or of regions 

 covered with a growth of scrubby bushes includes the prairie hens 

 of the western prairies, from Manitoba south to Texas and Louisiana ; 

 the lesser prairie hen of the Southwest; the heath hen, once of the 

 Eastern States, from Massachusetts to Virginia, now limited to Mar- 

 thas Vineyard; the sharp-tailed grouse of the Northwest; and the 



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