wild state in protected woods are the best and by far the cheap- 

 est; they can be made as abundant as it is desirable to have them. 



Many believe that the ruffed grouse wanders over a wide 

 territory and that it would be difficult to breed them in small 

 woods. They undoubtedly wander long distances in search 

 of food. Young birds hatched in a locality where insects are 

 plentiful and where there is an abundance of mast for the old 

 birds will be led away later 

 to places where berries are 

 plentiful, for this grouse is a 

 great berry-eater. 



Since game preserving 

 has become popular in 

 America and the necessity 

 for it has become well- 

 known, more attention has 

 been given to the food 

 habits and other require- 

 ments of all our game birds 

 than was formerly given to 

 this subject. Proper covers 

 also are important. This 

 bird's existence depends on 

 them, since the entire destruction of forests will result in the 

 extermination of woodland species. But the ruffed grouse 

 can be kept plentiful even in closely settled farming regions, 

 provided small woods or thickets be left or are planted, and 

 foods suitable for different seasons of the year are kept plentiful. 

 Young birds are largely insectivorous. More than ninety-five 

 per cent of the diet of the young grouse examined by Dr. Judd 

 was insects. Newly hatched chicks eat the most; as they grow 

 older they eat fruit, and later they feed on mast, grain and buds. 

 The study of the food habits of the young has not been as 

 extensive as it should be, but indicates that the chicks eat 

 grasshoppers, cutworms, certain beetles, ants, parasitic 

 wasps, buffalo tree hoppers, spiders, grubs and caterpillars. 

 Undoubtedly many small insects and their eggs which are 



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