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 



