114 Bird -Lore 



sketch of the bird; but as yet I have seen no explanation of the cause of the 

 wearing away of the barbs and even shafts of the feathers of the lower neck. 

 These feathers are worn away during that period of sexual excitement which 

 causes many birds to develop odd and eccentric habits until the nuptial season 

 is passed. The Sage Cock is unable to produce the musical booming sound of 

 the Prairie Chicken, the forcible expulsion of the air from the sacs producing 

 an inconsequential chuckling noise only ; nevertheless the bird offers reasonable 

 entertainment to any individual who will rise early and stroll out into the sage- 

 brush a hundred yards from the campfire. 



"During the months of April and May the Sage Cocks are usually found 

 in small flocks of a half dozen or more, stalking about with tails erect and spread 

 after the manner of the strutting Turkey cock, but I have never seen the Grouse 

 dragging their wings upon the ground, turkey fashion, and in the manner 

 described by Dr. Newberry in the quotation from this author found on page 

 406 of Dr. Coues' 'Birds of the Northwest,' nor have I ever found a wing of a 

 Sage Cock, in this or any other season, which exhibites the slightest wearing 

 away of the primaries. Instead of dragging its wings upon the ground, the Sage 

 Cock will enormously inflate the air-sacs of the neck until the whole neck 

 and breast is balloon-like in appearance, then stooping forward, almost the entire 

 weight of the body is thrown upon the distended portion, and the birds slides 

 along on the bare ground or short grass for some distance, the performance 

 being concluded by the expulsion of the air from the sacs with a variety of 

 chuckling, cackling, or rumbling sounds. This performance is continued prob- 

 ably daily, during the pairing and nesting season, and of course the feathers 

 are worn away by the constant friction." 



Mr. E. S. Cameron, who has studied the habits of the Sage Grouse in 

 Montana, makes further comments on the peculiar antics of these birds when 

 in spring the mating instinct becomes strongly developed. In part he says: 



"During the first half of April the males repair to a regular 'playground,' 

 but it is a difficult matter to observe their love-antics on account of the encom- 

 passing sage. However, on April 7, 1896, my wife and I happened to ride 

 close upon a number of old cocks, near our ranch, which were engaged with their 

 play in a small open space. They never fought nor threatened each other, but 

 strutted or paraded before some hens concealed in the sage-bushes, and were 

 entirely occupied with a most grotesque rivalry. By ruffling up all their feathers, 

 spreading their tails, and dragging their wings along the ground, they looked 

 much larger than they really were, while they produced a rattling sound with 

 their quills after the manner of Turkey cocks and Peafowl. At the same time 

 they continuously uttered a kind of whistling challenge, and, distending their 

 necks by means of their air-sacs, erected an enormous white ruff. As the play- 

 ground was small, the eight or nine cocks upon it were in imminent danger 

 of a collision, but for the ten minutes that we watched them this did not take 

 place, nor were there any moments of ecstatic oblivion for which some game- 



