RUFFED GROUSE (Bonasa 

 umbellus). 



Length, 17 inches. The broad 

 black band near tip of tail dis- 

 tinguishes this from other grouse. 



Range : Resident in the north- 

 em two-thirds of the United 

 States and in the forested parts 

 of Canada. 



Habits and economic status: 

 The ruffed grouse, the famed 

 drummer and finest game bird of 

 the northern woods, is usually 

 wild and wary and under reason- 

 able protection well withstands 



the attacks of hunters. Moreover, when reduced in numbers, it responds to 

 protection in a gratifying manner and has proved to be well adapted to propa- 

 gation under artificial conditions. Wild fruits, mast, and browse make up me 

 bulk of the vegetable food of this species. It is very fond of hazelnuts, beech- 

 nuts, chestnuts, and acorns, and it eats practically all kinds of wild berries and 

 other fruits. Nearlj' 60 kinds of fruits nave been identified from the stomach 

 contents examined. Various weed seeds also are consumed. Slightly more 

 than 10 per cent of the food consists of insects, about half being beetles. The 

 most important pests devoured are the potato beetle, clover-root weevil, the 

 pale-striped flea oeetle, grapevine leaf-beetle, May beetles, grasshoppers, cotton 

 worms, army worms, cutworms, the red-humped apple worm, and sawfly larvae. 

 While the economic record of the ruffed grouse is fairly commendable, it does 

 not call for more stringent protection than is necessary to maintain the species 

 in reasonable numbers. (See Biol. Survey Bui. 24, pp. 25-38.) 



BOBWHITE (Colinus virginianus). 



Length, 10 inches. Known everywhere by the clear whistle that suggests its 

 name. 



Range: Resident in the United States east of the plains; introduced in many 

 places in the West. 



Habits and economic status: The bob white is loved by every dweller in the 

 country and is better known to more hunters in the United States than any 

 other game bird. It is no less appreciated on the table than in the field, and 

 in many States has unquestionably been hunted too closely. Fortunately it 

 seems to be practicable to propagate the bird in captivity, and much is to be 

 hoped for in this direction. Half the food of this quail consists of weed seeds, 

 almost a fourth of grain, and about a tenth of wild fruits. Although thus eating 

 grain, the bird gets most of it from stubble. Fifteen per cent of the bobwhite's 

 food is composed of insects, including several of the most serious pests of agri- 

 culture, it feeds freely upon 

 Colorado potato beetles and 

 chinch bugs; it devours also 

 cucumber beetles, wireworms, 

 billbugs, clover-leaf weevils, 

 cotton-boll weevils, army 

 worms, bollworms, cutworms, 

 and Rockv Mountain locusts. 

 Take it all in all, bobwhite is 

 very useful to the farmer, and 

 while it may not be necessary 

 to remove it from the list of 

 game birds every farmer should 

 see that his own farm is not 

 depleted by eager sportsmen. 

 (See Biol. Survey Bui. 21, 

 pp. 9-46.) 



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