SAGE GROUSE. 
ARGEST of all American Grouse, and only exceeded 
in size by the Cock of the Woods or Capercailzie of 
the Old World, the Sage Grouse is an inhabitant of the 
barren plains where the sage bush (Artemisia) grows, 
the leaves of which constitute its principal food. Its 
range is from Assiniboia and British Columbia in the 
north to New Mexico in the south, and from the Da- 
kotas in the east to California, Oregon, and Washington 
in the west. It is a resident and breeds wherever found, 
and only makes a partial migration when the sage bushes 
become hidden beneath great falls of snow, compelling it 
to seek other localities with less elevation. The Cock of 
the Plains is rarely met with far fromthe localities covered 
by the sage bush, for the leaves of this plant appear to be 
a necessity for its existence. Although its crop may 
show that other food has been swallowed, yet the major 
portion of the contents will always be sage leaves, and 
these impart a very bitter and disagreeable taste to the 
flesh, if the bird is not drawn immediately after it is killed. 
Besides these leaves, this species feeds on insects, berries, 
wild pease, the pods and blossoms of various plants, and 
grain. 
Its stomach is a soft and membranous bag, and it has, 
properly speaking, no gizzard. This would seem to indi- 
cate that the bird was not a grain feeder, but individuals 
have been killed whose stomachs were filled with wheat, 
showing that, in spite of a lack of grinding power, the 
bird is able to digest grain. Its diet, however, is chiefly 
136 
