154 BULLETIN 16 2, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Mr. Charles Hayward reports that he found in the crop of a grouse 140 

 apple buds, 134 pieces of laurel leaves, 28 wintergreen leaves, G9 birch buds, 

 205 blueberry buds, 201 cherry buds and 109 blueberry stems. Another bird 

 had G10 apple buds in its crop and a third had more than 300. Weed and Dear- 

 born found in the crop of a female ruffed grouse 347 apple buds, S8 maple 

 buds and 12 leaves of sheep laurel. 



This damage may be serious during certain winters, especially 

 in orchards close to woods where the grouse are numerous; he men- 

 tions a case where a tree has been denuded of buds and killed. But, 

 if not overdone, budding may be more beneficial than injurious, 

 amounting to merely healthful pruning, for he says : 



For twenty years one or two birds customarily " budded " on an apple tree 

 near my farmhouse window. This tree seemed to be their favorite, but not- 

 withstanding the " budding " or because of it, the tree bore a good crop of 

 large apples nearly every year, while other trees not " budded " by the grouse 

 often bore none. Apparently the thinning of the buds by the birds was a 

 benefit to the crop. 



Doctor Judd (1905a) quotes from a letter from Miss M. E. Paine, 

 as follows: 



The ruffed grouse eats the buds of apple trees, but it is a help rather than 

 a damage. Last year a wild apple tree on top of a hill, between pasture and 

 mowing, was almost entirely budded. I thought entirely at first, but the 

 terminal buds were almost always left uninjured, also many minute buds 

 on each limb. The result was the terminal buds were pushed out and grew 

 rapidly and strongly. The tree blossomed abundantly and the fruit hung in 

 clusters toward the ends of the branches. The tree is of medium size and 

 the branches droop to the ground. In the fall the golden apples occupied 

 fully as much room as the green leaves, and as one looked at the tree a few 

 rods away — a perfect picture, barrels of apples on it, all nearly perfect and 

 fair, just the result of a vigorous trimming. 



William Brewster (1925) describes their method of budding as 

 follows : 



At sis o'clock this morning my assistant, R. A. Gilbert, called me to see some 

 Ruffed Grouse budding in a large wild apple tree that stands within sixty yards 

 of our old farm-house, from one of the eastern windows of which I was able 

 to watch them very satisfactorily through my field-glass. Five or six were 

 noticed at once and before many minutes had elapsed I counted no less than 

 nine scattered all over the tree, a few being low down on stout limbs close to its 

 main trunk and hence inconspicuous, but the greater number near the ends of 

 its longer upper branches, where they could be plainly seen, while one or two 

 were perched on the very topmost twigs, boldly outlined against the grey sky 

 and looking as big as Hen-hawks. They were busily engaged in budding, an op- 

 eration which I have never before witnessed to such good advantage. It was 

 not less surprising than interesting to see birds ordinarily so shy and retiring, 

 and so very stately and dignified of bearing, assembled thus numerously in an 

 isolated, leafless tree not far from a house, hopping and fluttering almost cease- 

 lessly amid its branches, thereby displaying unwonted activity and sprightli- 

 ness, as well as apparent fearlessness. At times, however, they would all stand 

 erect and motionless for a few moments, evidently looking and listening intently. 



