THE PRAIRIE CHICKEN, OR SHARPTAILED GROUSE. 407 
and other birds. I append a table of observations on the crops of 
grouse. I regret that it is not complete for the year :— 
iN yal eae sowdecbocur Rose hips, birch and willow buds. 
PEPER hash sisi /8.c' raha" 6 osc ie sand flowers, ete. 
POR anal ste oa Go» «sly 6s as grass and various. 
PL OE Fee os ne of stargrauss seed, etc. 
PATTI SU apats oieiete ioleletelte s grass and various berries. 
September ........ : ue s 4 ee 
Octo bere ries eects ug grass, berries, ete, 
IWovembern scissile 1-4 UE Arbutus berries, browse, etc. 
December ....... os “ Juniper oo ee ec 
PATIMATY se so cccine vans 1 browse and equisetum tops, etc. 
Februaryand March.. Not observed. 
This is, of course, a mere list of staples, the grouse being quite: 
omnivorous, but throughout I found, that, of their food, hips formed 
a large part, for they are always attainable, even in winter, through 
their two valuable qualities, of growing where the snow is thinnest 
and not falling when ripe. 
After the hips, their most important food, in May, is the sand- 
flower, which whitens the prairies with its millions, spreading from 
the great lakes to the Rockies. This plant is for the time tl.e food of 
all creatures, the grass not yet being grown, so on it buffaloes, deer, 
horses, cattle, crane, grouse, geese, gophers, and all but carnivorous 
animals subsist. The receptacle is large and fleshy and apparently 
very nutritious. To the taste it 1s very pungent, so it may hasten 
the breeding season of the grouse, etc. 
During spring and summer the grouse are assembled every morn- 
ing on the top of some chosen hillock in companies of half-a-dozen 
or more. Here there isa regular performance called “ Partridge 
Dance,” the birds runniug about, strutting and crowing in an 
extraordinary manner. I refer the reader to Wilson, as his account 
thereof is more detailed than any I can give. I may state, however, 
that he says these dances terminate when all are paired, whereas I 
find them to continue until the young are hatched, and, indeed, I 
begin to have little faith in the pairing at all, as this “ hillock dance” 
appears to be the common nuptials of the tribe, and it is difficult to 
see how the males and females can both be there (the males are 
most indefatigable in their attendance) if the males have anything 
to do with the eggs. 
