ZOOLOGICAL 
SOC PEAY 
BULLETIN 
Published by the New York Zoological Society 
VotumE XXIII 
JANUARY, 1920 
NuMBER 1 
REMARKABLE HABITS OF THE 
As OBSERVED IN SOUTHEASTERN OREGON 
SAGE GROUSE 
in May 1918 
By R. Bruce Horsrary 
With Illustrations Drawn from Life by the Author 
TEALTHILY and carefully we picked our 
way along the mud-flat road to the high 
gate in the lava-rock ranch fence, and 
peered through the bars. 
“There they are!” burst from our lips in an 
excited whisper, as we caught the glint of white 
spots a few hundred yards beyond. 
Cautiously we clambered over the irregular 
loose rocks, and like Indians on the warpath 
crawled, squirmed and wriggled our way to a 
low outcropping of volcanic rock. From this 
vantage point we had an unobstructed view of 
the broad and bare flood-plain before us. 
Cramped and strained in every muscle and 
bone, we remained hidden among those rocks 
till supper time, loath to leave the wonderful 
sight. 
In the open at intervals of from twenty-five 
to fifty feet, were sixty magnificent sage cocks 
strutting around with putted-out chests and tails 
spread like miniature turkey gobblers, making 
noises for all the world like the popping of 
corks on the pier at Atlantic City —a sound 
which took me back in memory to the hotel in 
Colombo, Ceylon, where a hundred guests were 
served with soda water at every meal, and the 
bottles were always opened at the tables. 
Evidently these rocks had been favorite place 
for Indians in years gone by, for all about us 
in the sand were obsidian chips and charcoal, 
with bits of arrow and spear heads. We after- 
wards picked up many perfect specimens on the 
open flat. 
Here the Klamath Indian had lurked at eve- 
ning to secure, with his twanging bow and bits 
of flying glass, a sage cock for the morrow’s 
dinner, making arrow heads in the middle of the 
day when no birds were about. ‘To the Indian 
a strutting sage cock was but an easy mark and 
a quick lunch. His stolid nature probably did 
not marvel at the wondrous performance, and 
no question entered his mind as to how and 
why. 
To us, however, it was a sight which satisfied 
a great hunger; not the hunger of the body, but 
of the mind. We had spent days and nights in 
travel to see that phase of nature, to gain that 
scrap of knowledge; and we feasted to a great 
content, though many questions remained un- 
satisfied as to the how and the why. 
The opportunity for these observations had 
come after two years delay, and we were ac- 
cordingly appreciative to the utmost. 
In the summer of 1915, we had been viewing 
the Klamath Lake pelican colonies with the 
game warden, Mr. J. J. Turber, and had gone 
on to Laird’s Landing, at the foot of the lake, 
to remain over night. While we were there Mr. 
Laird told us of sage grouse coming down on the 
flat at the eastern end of the pasture every 
spring to do their courting, but at that date, 
May 31, they had stopped for the season. 
It was now May 1917, and we were to have 
our opportunity to observe and picture the birds 
in action. 
Mr. Turber had brought William L. Finley, 
Stanley G. Jewett and the writer from Klamath 
Falls to Mr. Laird’s place. It was afternoon 
when we rounded the lower end of the lake, 
and a few grouse were on the open alkali flat. 
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