170 BIRDS 



PRAIRIE SHARP-TAILED GROUSE 



The Sharp-tailed Grouse, in this form, is found chiefly 

 in the Dakotas, Minnesota, and western Wisconsin, Occa- 

 sionally they have been recorded in northern Illinois. It 

 is partially migratory, living in prairies in summer and 

 wooded regions in winter. 



The true form of the sharp-tailed grouse is a more north- 

 erly species, inhabiting the west and central portions of 

 Manitoba and Alberta. In the northwestern section of 

 the United States, from Montana to the Pacific, includ- 

 ing Washington and Oregon, the Columbian sharp-tailed 

 grouse, another species, occurs. The sharp-tailed grouse 

 may be met with in the same sections occupied by our com- 

 mon prairie chicken, but may be readily distinguished from 

 it by the feathered legs and toes. The Columbian sharp- 

 tailed is fond of wild fruit, so that during the fall they 

 move from the prairie lands into the cranberry marshes to 

 feed. 



Prairie sharp-tailed grouse are considerably lighter in 

 color than the prairie chicken, and the under parts are with- 

 out the barred effect. In winter they hide in the deep 

 snow and tunnel beneath the crust to feed on the sprouts of 

 willows, larches, and aspens. Like the ruffed grouse, it fre- 

 quently roosts in trees, but during the spring and summer 

 months it remains on the ground. 



From seven to twelve eggs are laid in JMay or early in 

 June. Some sets bear a close resemblance to those of the 

 prairie chicken and are dark olive-green. Others are gray- 



