HEATH HEN 277 



Audubon (1840) stated that the barberry (Berberis vulgaris) was 

 the chief food of the heath hen. This is also included in the lists 

 of the food of the heath hen by other earlier writers, but there is no 

 evidence that the birds in recent years depended very largely on 

 the barberry for a source of their food. 



The fleshy wild-rose berries, more frequently called rose apples 

 or rose hips, were eaten by a bird collected March 7, 1896. 



The birds fed very freely on wild strawberries, which were abund- 

 ant in the meadows and open areas of the reservation. They were 

 also fond of the cultivated varieties, as evidenced by their frequent 

 depredations in gardens grown near the haunts of the heath hen. 



The partridgeberry {Mitchella repens) was so frequently eaten by 

 the heath hen that the earlier settlers called this berry the heath- 

 hen plum. Not only the berries but the leaves of this plant were 

 often eaten by the birds during the early fall and winter months. 



The dryland blueberry (Vaccinium vacittans), the low-bush blue- 

 berry (Y. pennsylvanicum) , and the black huckleberry (Gaylus- 

 sacia baccata) were eaten during the berry season. On August 24, 

 1913, William Day saw a flock of 51 heath hens feasting on blue- 

 berries, and he also states that captive birds ate freely of blueberries 

 provided for them. 



The acorns of the scrub oak {Quercus ilicifoHa) have been called 

 the " bread " of the heath hen. No natural food is more abundant on 

 Marthas Vineyard, and no food is more dependable during the win- 

 ter months. The scrub-oak acorns are small and were swallowed 

 whole by the birds. The scrub oaks provide one of the reasons why 

 these birds have persisted in the scrubby plains. 



Leaves were found in the crops of many specimens examined by 

 Mr. Hoyle. In the spring months I found that the birds showed 

 a great preference for the leaves of sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella) 

 over other plants such as clover and tender blades of grasses that 

 were equally abundant in the same field. The distribution of the 

 birds on the field usually corresponded roughly with the distribution 

 of this plant. One male specimen trapped on April 5, 1924, had 

 its crop gorged with leaves of sorrel. There were in this specimen, 

 1,846 leaves and parts weighing 32.2 grams. Another bird trapped 

 on May 20, 1924, had its crop completely filled with 38.6 grams of 

 seeds of the sheep sorrel. Although other leaves, such as those of 

 clover, alfalfa, and other herbaceous plants, were eaten, the birds 

 exhibited a decided preference for the leaves of the sorrel. 



Buds, including those of the scrub pine (Pinus virginiana) , were 

 eaten by certain birds during the winter months. 



The heath hen was especially fond of the grains of cultivated crops, 

 such as corn, buckwheat, millet, and sunflowers, and in late years 

 74564—32 19 



