TILE CANADA GROUSE (DENDBAGAPUS CANADENSIS) IN CAP- 

 TIVITY; ITS FOOD, HABITS, ETC. BY WATSON L. 

 BISHOP, Dartmouth, N. S. 



Read 13th May, 1912. 



The habitat of the Canada Grouse, commonly called in Nova 

 Scotia the "Spruce Partridge'' is, northern North America east 

 to the Rocky Mountains, from the northern portions of New 

 England, New York, Michigan and Minnesota to the limit of 

 trees reaching the western coast in Alaska. 



In this province it is mostly found in the spruce forests 

 and swamp regions far from the habitation of man. It is very 

 seldom seen in the vicinity of fields and clearings, which are 

 the favorite resort of the Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus). 



A few years ago I kept quite a number of these birds in a 

 large enclosure for several years and this gave me an excellent 

 opportunity to study their food and habits, an occupation of 

 which I was very fond. Since that time I have had many 

 inquiries in regard to the food and care of these birds in 

 captivity. I am, therefore, writing this with a view to assist 

 any who may wish to experiment in the domestication of this 

 interesting species. 



My first bird, a male, was got about the middle of Sep- 

 tember. I put him in a small pen with a black duck (Anas 

 obscura) also a male; but 'they did not get along well together. 

 The grouse kept continually nagging the duck about the pen, 

 so that I had to separate them until I had built a larger 

 enclosure (about 30 feet square). There they got along on 

 more friendly terms. Not long after, I obtained three 

 females. The question to be solved then was, how to feed 

 them, which I soon learned was rather a difficult matter; for 

 two of them sickened and died within three weeks. When I 



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