CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 221 
all through southern Labrador with stragglers well to the north. 
Westward from Ontario it extends across the whole wooded country 
being found in the spruce forest north of the prairie region to the 
boundaries of the Barren Grounds. The Rocky mountain district 
may have this species in considerable numbers, but as we have no 
specimens from there its distribution is still uncertain. 
East of and including the coast range, “an abundant resident. 
(Fannin.) Typical birds of this sub-species as well as B. sabini 
occur in equal numbers as well as every intergradation between 
them in the lower Fraser valley; most of the ruffed grouse of the 
Cariboo district are intermediate between this form and the next 
but ultra-typical examples of each were taken in 1891. (Brooks.) 
Common in the interior; found about thickets that border running 
water in British Columbia. The specimens are identical with 
those from New Brunswick. (Streator.) Common along the Chilli- 
wack river up to Chilliwack lake, B.C., in August, 1906. (Spread- 
borough.) 
BREEDING Notres.—In the sunny weather towards the begin- 
ning of April if there is a crust on the snow the ruffed grouse resorts 
to the hill-sides facing the sun and the males strut about with their 
tails spread out to their fullest extent and their wings trailing the 
the ground like a turkey cock. If the spring be early the males 
begin to drum and continue drumming from a month to six weeks. 
In the meantime the females have chosen nesting sites on the ground, 
usually at the root of a tree but sometimes under a log or beneath 
a bush. The eggs in a nest vary from nine to thirteen. Upon 
leaving the nest the female always covers the eggs with dry leaves. 
In summer the young and old feed.upon larve, insects and berries, 
and are very fond of clover. In the autumn they feed upon black 
cherries, haws, mountain-ash berries and rose-hips. In the winter 
they feed, in flocks of ten to twenty or more, on the buds of birch, 
maple or ironwood, and seem to prefer the latter. During the 
winter they feed but twice a day in cold weather. These times 
are at dawn, indeed almost before it is light, and just as it is getting 
dark. As soon as they have eaten their fill, they dive under the 
snow and remain there until their next time of feeding. (Spread- 
borough.) It breeds early, usually commencing to lay in April. 
In April, 1897, I saw an egg as early as the 14th. Sometimes a 
