74 BIRDS OF SOUTH DAKOTA 
they migrate only a few miles, perhaps to find more suitable 
feeding grounds. 
The Prairie Sharp-tailed Grouse once inhabited the whole 
State, but they do not take kindly to civilization. At present 
they live in open thickets along the Missouri River and westward 
in the Black Hills. Their numbers have been greatly depleted 
by incoming settlers, but in the future they will probably hold 
their own as they are wary birds and will select the most se- 
cluded areas for breeding grounds. In summer they live largely 
on insects, while in winter they depend mostly on weed seeds 
and berries. During deep snows they occasionally resort to 
corn fields for a meal. 
The Ruffed Grouse is probably found within the State only 
in the Black Hills, although one may occasionally be found on 
the west shore of Big Stone Lake, across from Minnesota. In 
the latter case it would be the eastern species or “red phase,” 
while the native of the Black Hills is the western species or 
“gray phase.” Its natural haunts are wooded hillsides and deep 
ravines, where it feeds on insects, buds and wild berries. These 
beautiful birds are not abundant and will in time become quite 
rare, as they are continually hunted for sport and food. How- 
ever, under present conditions the Ruffed Grouse will probably 
be the last of our game birds to become extinct. 
All members of the Grouse family are highly favored with 
protective coloration. This is especially noticeable in the two 
species of Ruffed Grouse. The plumage of the eastern form or 
“red phase,” has the tinge of reddish autumn leaves, while that 
of the western or “gray phase” in the Black Hills has the tinge 
of dead gray pine needles. In their natural haunts it is almost 
impossible to see either bird before it is flushed, so nearly do 
they match the background of their native woods. 
The Grouse family must be protected and allowed to in- 
crease in South Dakota. Upon the Prairie Chicken, Quail and 
Grouse we must depend for assistance in keeping down the ever 
increasing number of injurious insects, such as grasshoppers, 
crickets, chinch bugs, army and wire worms, and beetles. Years 
ago Shore Birds were abundant in South Dakota and lived on 
these insects, thus helping to balance nature; but Shore Birds 
have been forced from the State, never to return, because their 
