The Sage Grouse 115 



birds are famous. As will be seen from the above their courtship is rather a 

 display than a 'pl^-y/ thus differing from the performance of the Sharp-tailed 

 Grouse. 



Like all Grouse, this species has its nest on the ground. This consists of a 

 slight hollow, usually under the shelter of a sage-bush, but sometimes it may 

 be found under a bunch of high grass in the neighborhood of some stream or 

 small body of water. Occasionally one may come across a nest containing a 

 slight lining of grass-blades, or of sage-brush, twigs, or leaves, but more often 

 there is no lining of any character. 



In number the eggs range from six to nine. They are olive-buff or greenish 

 brown in color, and are prettily marked with round spots of dark brown. 



As already intimated, the food of the Sage Hen, to a considerable extent, 

 is composed of the leaves of the sage-brush, but the birds also eat other leaves, 

 tender plants, and even blossoms. Grasshoppers, ants, and such other insects 

 as are available are also consumed. I have never heard a farmer complain of a 

 Sage Grouse injuring his growing crops except in rare instances, although this 

 may occur to a very limited extent. Perhaps one reason for the lack of com- 

 plaints is that when a district becomes thickly settled, and contains many farms 

 where crops might be injured, the birds have become so depleted by shooting 

 that any destruction they may do is hardly noticeable. 



The time has arrived in the history of the Sage Grouse when it is necessary 

 that more restrictive measures should be enacted and enforced for its pro- 

 tection if the bird is to be spared from the fate of the antelope, which at one time 

 existed in great numbers over a large part of the range in which the Sage 

 Grouse still persists. 



It is true that laws have been enacted for their protection, but these are not 

 adequate; for instance, in Idaho, the birds may be shot for three and a half 

 months, and in Nevada, four and a half months each year. This is entirely 

 too long a season, especially when we take into consideration that the bag- 

 limit, or in other words the number of birds that may legally be killed in a day, 

 is ten in Nevada and in Idaho, twelve. Thus it will be seen that in Idaho the 

 law permits a man to kill legally not less than 1,176 Sage Grouse in a single 

 season. 



The state of Washington has already taken steps in the right direction by 

 permitting an open season of only fifteen days, that is from October 15 to 

 November i , and allowing a bag-limit of only five birds daily. 



