100 BULLETIN 16 2, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Fresh eggs are laid from May 10 until almost the first of July in 

 belated cases." 



Eggs. — The eggs of Richardson's grouse are similar to those of the 

 dusky grouse. The measurements of 32 eggs average 47.9 by 33.3 

 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 51.7 by 34, 

 47.5 by 36, 43 by 33.5, and 45 by 32 millimeters. 



Young. — Bendire (1892) mentions, in some notes from Robert S. 

 Williams, the behavior of some young grouse that were probably 

 too young to run away or hide ; he writes : 



On June 21, 1885, while crossing over the almost bare summit of a small 

 knoll in the foothills of the Belt Mountains, I suddenly almost ran into a brood 

 of young Richardson's Grouse, which had evidently been hatched out but a 

 very short time. The young, about ten in number, were closely huddled to- 

 gether, the old bird standing by their side, with head up, and eyes fairly 

 blazing at the unexpected intruder. I was almost within reach of them, 

 but neither old nor young made a single motion or uttered a sound while I 

 stood watching them for several moments; and I left them in the same position. 



Mrs. Florence M. Bailey (1918) writes: 



As we rode out of the dark woods the peeping voices of young were heard, 

 and as the first horse shied a big mother grouse flew conspicuously into the 

 top of a low evergreen, while her brood, circling out on widespread curving 

 wings like young quail, disappeared under cover. Early in August, on the 

 Swiftcurrent, an old grouse and seven half-grown young, finding our camp 

 nearly deserted, walked calmly past the tents and under the kitchen awning 

 on their way to the creek. On reaching it the mother flew across, calling 

 the brood till they followed, when they all walked off toward the blueberry 

 patch in the pine woods. 



Food. — In Yellowstone Park, according to Mr. Skinner (1927), 



their food consists largely of berries, such as bear berries (Arctostaphylos 

 uva-ursi L.), huckleberries [VaccinUim scorparium Leiberg), high bush blue- 

 berries (Vaccinium membranaceum Dough), service-berries (Amelanchier abii- 

 foJia Nutt.), false buffalo berries (Shepherdia canadensis L.), raspberries 

 (Rubus striyosvs Michx. ), gooseberries (Ribes saxosum Hook, and Ribes 

 parvulum Gray), and strawberries (Fragaria amcricana Porter). In addition 

 they eat many insects, especially grasshoppers. When other food becomes 

 scarce they eat fir, pine, and spruce needles. 



Aretas A. Saunders has sent me the following interesting notes: 



In August and September the food is mainly grasshoppers obtained in the 

 mountain meadows. A method of obtaining them is interesting. A small 

 flock of 8 or 10 birds, apparently a female and her fully grown young, stand 

 in a circle some 30 feet or more in diameter, the birds 10 or 12 feet apart. 

 Each bird faces toward the center of the circle, and they slowly move in- 

 ward, scaring up the grasshoppers as they go. As the circle grows smaller the 

 grasshoppers are more and more concentrated in the center, and the birds 

 capture a great many. A grasshopper jumps and flies from a bird on one 

 side only to fall victim of one on the opposite side. I have watched this 

 performance once in the Sun River country, and flushed birds that were in 

 this formation several other times, so that I believe it is a common habit. 



