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SAGE GROUSE. 



I ARGEST of all American Grouse, and only exceeded 

 in size by the Cock of the Woods or Capercailzie of 

 the Old World, the Sage Grouse is an inhabitant of the 

 barren plains where the sage bush (Artemisia) grows, 

 the leaves of which constitute its principal food. Its 

 range is from Assiniboia and British Columbia in the 

 north to New Mexico in the south, and from the Da- 

 kotas in the east to California, Oregon, and Washington 

 in the west. It is a resident and breeds wherever found, 

 and only makes a partial migration when the sage bushes 

 become hidden beneath great falls of snow, compelling it 

 to seek other localities with less elevation. The Cock of 

 the Plains is rarely met with far from the localities covered 

 by the sage bush, for the leaves of this plant appear to be 

 a necessity for its existence. Although its crop may 

 show that other food has been swallowed, yet the major 

 portion of the contents will always be sage leaves, and 

 these impart a very bitter and disagreeable taste to the 

 filesh, if the bird is not drawn immediately after it is killed. 

 Besides these leaves, this species feeds on insects, berries, 

 wild pease, the pods and blossoms of various plants, and 

 grain. 



Its stomach is a soft and membranous bag, and it has, 

 properly speaking, no gizzard. This would seem to indi- 

 cate that the bird was not a grain feeder, but individuals 

 have been killed whose stomachs were filled with wheat, 

 showing that, in spite of a lack of grinding power, the 

 bird is able to digest grain. Its diet, however, is chiefly 



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