The Sage Grouse 113 



The haunt of the Sage Hen corresponds very nearly to that portion of 

 North America where the sage-brush grows; thus it is found in southern 

 British Columbia and southern Alberta, and thence southward through eastern 

 Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada, Utah and eastern 

 California. The southern limit of their range is reached when the desert growth 

 turns from sage-brush to creosote in northern Arizona and New Mexico. 



Throughout all this vast region this feathered monarch of the plains was 

 at one time abundant. Formerly it was not extensively shot for the reason 

 that antelope, deer, and other larger game were usually to be met with. With 

 the passing of the big game and the introduction of breech-loading guns, a sad 

 change has come over the fortunes of the Sage Hen. In some remote corners of 

 the West where hunters rarely penetrate, these naturally trusting birds are 

 so tame at times that one may knock them over with a stick. As a general 

 thing, however, they have learned a proper dread of their human enemies, and 

 in many sections where the remnants of the former flocks are still to be found 

 it is frequently difficult to approach within shooting distance before the birds 

 take wing. 



This Grouse feeds very largely on the leaves of the sage-brush, and its 

 flesh is at times strongly permeated with the odor of this plant. Hence, experi- 

 enced Westerners seldom shoot the old birds, for their flesh is tough and strong, 

 and unless prepared by a master cook is usually regarded as totally unfit 

 for food. Irwin Cobb, after such an experience, named the bird 'The Battle 

 Hen of the Republic' Young birds of the year that have fed largely on grass- 

 hoppers and other insects are regarded as being a choice food, and are esteemed 

 as highly as the Ruffed Grouse or Bob-White. In the deserts around Burns, 

 Oregon, I found the rangers quite able to distinguish between the old and young 

 when the birds rose from the ground. That the young are quite as good as any 

 game bird in the land was proven to me by the delicious repast set before me 

 by some of the good people of this arid country. The Sage Grouse are entirely 

 terrestrial; living in regions where trees are rare they have never acquired the 

 habit of alighting on a limb. Experienced gunners speak with admiration of the 

 bird's ability to hide on the ground where there is extremely little cover, the 

 only possible protection being the low growth of scattered sage-brush. 



Observers have long noted that the feathers on the breast of the male Sage 

 Grouse are often found in a worn and frayed condition, which would seem to 

 indicate that this portion of the plumage, for some reason, receives much 

 rougher treatment than elsewhere on the body. An explanation of this and 

 also some interesting notes on the bird's behavior during the breeding-season 

 was published some years ago in The Auk by Mr. Frank Bond who, while 

 living in the West, had abundant opportunities to observe the activities of 

 this interesting bird. 



"The peculiar feathers of the breast of the Sage Cock," he writes, "are 

 more or less faithfully described by every ornithologist who has published a 



