The Canada Grouse {Branta Canadensis) 

 By Seth Mindwell 



Length: 15 inches. 



The Canada Grouse, also called the Spruce Partridge, frequents the ever- 

 green forests and swamps and the shrubby areas of British America east of 

 the Rocky Mountains, and in Alaska it is a resident of the Pacific coast. In its 

 southern flights it seldom passes beyond the latitude of the northern portion of 

 New England and Minnesota. 



This bird is an interesting member of the bird family Tetraonidae, which also 

 includes the birds variously called bob-white, quail and partridge, the ptarmi- 

 gans and the prairie hen. The family includes about two hundred species, about 

 one-half of which belong to the Old World. There arc twenty-five distinct 

 species of the subfamily of grouse. . These are practically confined to the higher 

 latitudes of the northern hemisphere and are strictly speaking non-migratory. In 

 fact, nearly all the birds of this family are resident throughout the year in the 

 localities where they are found. 



They are terrestrial in their habits, and when frightened they usually depend 

 on hiding in places where their dull colors will least attract attention, but they 

 will, occasionally, fly into trees when flushed. 



The Canada Grouse, like all the related species, is a bird of rapid flight. The 

 feathers of their small wings are stiff, causing a whirring sound during flight. 

 The male during the mating season gives a great deal of attention to his appear- 

 ance. He is quite black in general color and more or less barred with white un- 

 derneath and above with gray or reddish brown. The female is not quite as large 

 as the male, and is not as dark in color. Above the eye of the male there is a 

 small area of bare skin, which is a bright vermilion color. 



These gentle and retiring birds mate in the early spring and remain together 

 through the breeding season. Captain Bendire states that he has good reason 

 for believing that the mating may last for more than one season, as he has fre- 

 quently found a pair, in the depth of the winter, when no other individuals of the 

 same species were near. The nest, consisting of loosely arranged blades of grass 

 and a few stalks and twigs, is built by the hen on a slight elevation of ground, 

 usually under the low branches of a spruce tree. 



The number of eggs varies greatly. Mr. Ridgway says that they vary in num- 

 ber from nine to sixteen. The eggs also vary greatly in color from a pale, creamy 

 buff through various shades of brownish buff, and arc irregularly spotted with a 

 deeper brown, though occasionally they are spotless. 



During the spring and summer months the food of the Canada Grouse con- 

 sists very largely of the berries of plants belonging to the Pleath family, such as 

 the blueberry, the huckleberry and the bcarberry, as well as the tender buds of the 

 spruce. In the winter it feeds almost entirely on these buds, and the needle-like 



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