COUES ON BIRDS OF DAKOTA AND MONTANA. 631 



1.75 by 1.25; extremes of length, 1.80 and 1.60; of breadth, 1.30 and 

 1.20. When the shell is first formed, it is of a pale, dull greenish 

 color ; but before the egg is laid it acquires a drab or olive color by 

 mixture of brown pigment with the original shade, and finally gains a 

 uniform sprinkling of dark brown dots. The nests are found in various 

 situations. Some are made out on the bare prairie, far from any land- 

 mark; others in moister tracts overgrown to willow-bushes. The first 

 chicks I saw were caught on the 19th of June ; these were newly hatched. 

 They are very expert in hiding from the time they leave the shell. 

 On threatened danger, the mother alarms them with a peculiar note, 

 when they instantly scatter and squat ; the mother then whirs away, 

 but not until assured of their safety. The feathers of the wings and 

 tail sprout first to replace the down, as in the case of the domestic fowl, 

 in striking contrast to the growth of water-fowl, which become pretty 

 well feathered long before their wings are serviceable for flight. The 

 next feathers after the wings and tail are some on the poll ; next appear 

 strips of feathers on the breast and back ; and with the completion of 

 the process a jjlumage is assumed which lasts through part of September. 

 In consequence of the rapid growth of the wing-feathers — a wise provi- 

 sion for the safety of birds until then exposed to numerous dangers— the 

 young take short flights in a few weeks. I saw them beginning to top 

 the bushes early in July ; most of them fly quite smartly by the middle 

 of this month, being then about as large as Quail {Ortyoc), though some 

 of them do not grow to this size for a month subsequently, showing a 

 considerable range of variation in the time of hatching. I doubt that 

 two broods are reared in a season, except perhaps in case of an accident 

 to the first family ; and for that matter, the birds seem to have all they 

 can do to get a single set of chicks off their hands. 



The plumage last mentioned is retained during the greater part of 

 September, and is unmistakable evidence of immaturity. The birds 

 are "fit" to shoot, in one sense, from the time they are two-thirds grown, 

 and afford sport enough of a certain grade; but they ought to be let 

 alone, unless one merely wishes /oo(Z, until the moult, which occurs some 

 time in September, is completed. They then acquire a clean, fresh, and 

 crisp plumage, differing decidedly from that before worn, and come into 

 prime condition. The old birds, which are in woful plight by midsum- 

 mer, have by this time also accomplished the moult and come into fine 

 feather again. The change in either case is gradual and protracted, 

 and at no time are the birds deprived of flight, like ducks at the same 

 trying period. 



To ascertain the food of this grouse during the summer, as well as 

 that of other species, is a matter of more than simple curiosity. The 

 service they render in destroying grasshoppers, too often overlooked, 

 cannot be too strenuously insisted upon, or too prominently brought to 

 notice. I have sometimes been tempted to believe that the increasing 



