1914] The Ottawa Naturalist. 123 



of young grouse. Hence, apart from the evidence acquired 

 through the examination of stomachs, we are led to believe that 

 the young subsist very largely upon such insects. They do not, 

 however, by any means confine themselves to locusts. Cater- 

 pillars having smooth skin are consumed, from the largest 

 sphinx larva, to cutworms, army-worms, etc. 



As the season proceeds, hdwever, the diet of the Sharp-tailed 

 Grouse changes and while they still regard insects as luxuries, 

 they now turn their attention to various grains, particularly 

 wheat, which they occasionally damage to a small extent, 

 though the damage as a rule does not extend over more than 

 a month, while the injury itself consists of the birds resting upon 

 the stooks and picking out the grains from the heads. By 

 far the greatest portion of the grain eaten at this time, however, 

 is gleaned from the ground, being waste material, and there- 

 fore of no value. This grouse is also troublesome sometimes 

 before harvest, when it learns to break down the stems of 

 grain to get at the heads. It is conceivable that if very nu- 

 merous they might cause considerable damage by this habit, a 

 contingency that does not seem likely to occur, however, under 

 present conditions. They are also objected to occasionally by 

 farmers through choosing one of their fields for a "dancing" 

 ground in the spring months, when perhaps half a hundred 

 males will collect for their morning and evening manoeuvers, 

 thoroughly trampling down an acre or more of land. 



Of course, all there little depredations are insignificant when 

 compared with the birds' usefulness as destroyers of noxious in- 

 sects, and their value for food purposes. 



The Pennated, or Square-tailed Grouse {Tympanuchus 

 americanus) is another with habits very similar to those of the 

 Sharp-tailed. It , however, chooses the open country for its 

 home, whereas the latter prefers open woodlands. 



The food habits of the Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa sp.) are much 

 more in question than those of the species mentioned above, 

 for while they undoubtedly devour many caterpillars and other 

 noxious insects during summer time, they feed very largely 

 upon buds in winter, often almost stripping trees, particularly 

 those of poplar, besides badly damaging lilacs and other shrubs. 

 It may be said, however, that the buds eaten are tisually flower- 

 ing ones which in poplars are larger than leaf buds, thus the trees 

 suffer to a comparatively small extent. This argviment cannot 

 be used, however, in the case of lilacs, which should be pro- 

 tected by wire netting. 



Naturally .such injury is confined to the vicinity of wood 

 lands which are the birds' natural homes. Probably the sum- 

 mer food taken fully compensates in value for the damage 



