14 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



The Dusky Grouse are mountain as well as 

 forest-loving birds, and they often wander from 

 the spruce and fir forests above the timber line 

 in their search for berries and other food. In 

 winter they descend to the valleys. They are not 

 migratory, such movements being made solely in 

 search of food and to escape the severe weather 

 of the higher altitudes. The food of the Dusky 

 Grouse consists of insects, which form a large 

 part of the food of the young birds, grasshoppers 

 being the principal insect eaten, and fruits, seeds, 

 and leaves. 



Like the Spruce Grouse, the Dusky Grouse 

 is a browser and is one of our chief foliage- 

 eating birds. Dr. Judd says it spends most 

 of its time in pine forests feeding on needles, 

 buds, and flowers. In the sunmier many berries 

 are eaten, among them the abundant wild goose- 

 berries, currants, strawberries, huckleberries, and 

 bear-berries. The flesh is white, tender, juicy, 

 and delicious. Later in the season it is affected 

 by the change in diet and it often has then a bit- 

 ter and resinous taste which renders it highly 

 undesirable. 



HUDSONIAN SPRUCE PARTRIDGE 

 Canachites canadensis canadensis (Linna-us) 



A. O. U. Xumber 298 See Color Plate 41 



Other Names. — Canada Grouse ; Black Grouse ; 

 Wood Grouse; Wood Partridge; Spotted Grouse; 

 Cedar Partridge ; Swamp Partridge. 



General Description. — Length, 17 inches. Males are 

 black and gray above, and black below, variegated with 

 white; females are brown, tawny, and black above, and 

 dull-whitish below, barred with black. Both sexes are 

 without crests or ruffs; tarsus feathered to the toes; 

 tail with 16 feathers. 



Color. — Adult M.\le: Plumage of entire upper 

 parts, wavy-barred with black and gray; some rufous 

 markings on back and wings ; white markings on 

 shoulders and wing-coverts; lores, whitish; throat and 



sides of head below eye, black bordered with broken 

 white ; a bright yellow or reddish-colored comb over 

 eye of naked skin ; tail, black broadly tif^pcd with 

 orangc-brozvn; under parts, deep glossy black much 

 variegated with white; under tail-coverts tipped with 

 white; sides and breast with white crescented bars. 

 Adult Female: Entire upper parts, umber brown 

 varied with tawny and ocher and traversely barred with 

 black ; lores and a short streak behind eye together with 

 an obscure patch on side of throat, whitish ; beneath, 

 dull whitish much mixed with tawny particularly on 

 breast ; nearly everywhere wavy-barred with blackish ; 

 shorter in front, more heavily behind ; flanks, streaked 



Drawing by R. I. Brasher 



HUDSONIAN SPRtJCE PARTRIDGE (J nat. size) 

 The champion fool amone; birds 



