12 



GAME. AQUATIC. AND BAPACIOUS BIRDS. 



RUFFED GROUSE. 



(Bonasa umbellus.) 



The ruffed grouse (fig. 3), called " partridge" in the northeastern 

 States and pheasant in some other parts of its range, is one of our 

 most widely ranging game birds. It inhabits wooded regions from 



Canada and Alaska 

 south to California, 

 Colorado, Tennes- 

 see, and northern 

 Georgia. It is usu- 

 ally a wild and wary 

 bird and well with- 

 stands the attacks 

 of hunters, but it 

 responds to protec- 

 tion in a gratifying 

 manner and has 

 proved to be well 

 adapted to propaga- 

 tion under artificial 

 conditions. On ac- 

 count of these quali- 

 ties and its desira- 

 bility as a game spe- 

 cies it is a good sub- 

 ject for game farm- 

 ing. 



Wild fruits, mast, 

 and browse make up 

 the bulk of the vege- 

 table food of this 

 species. It is very 

 fond of hazelnuts, 

 beechnuts, chest- 

 nuts, and acorns and 

 it eats practically all 

 kinds of wild berries 

 and other fruits. 



FIG. 3. Ruffed grouse. - _ , . . 



Nearly 60 kinds of 



fruits have been identified from the stomach contents examined. 

 Various weed seeds are also consumed. 



Slightly more than 10 per cent of the food consists of insects, about 

 half of which are beetles. The most important pests devoured are the 

 Colorado potato beetle, clover-root weevil, the pale-striped flea 



497 



