THE PRAIRIE CHICKEN, OR SHARPTAILED GROUSE. 407 



and other birds. I append a table of observations on the crops of' 

 grouse. I regret that it is not complete for the year : — 



April Rose hips, birch and willow buds. 



May " sand flowers, etc. 



June " grass and various. 



July " stargrass seed, etc. 



Augiist " grass and various berries. 



September " " " " 



October " grass, berries, etc. 



November " Arbutus berries, browse, etc. 



December " Juniper " " " 



January " browse and equisetum tops, etc. 



February and March. . Not observed. 



This is, of course, a mere list of staples, the grouse being quite- 



omnivorous, but throughout I foxmd, that, of their food, hips formed 



' a large part, for they are always attainable, even in winter, through 



their two valuable qualities, of growing where the snow is thinnest 



and not falling when ripe. 



After the hips, their most important food, in May, is the sand- 

 fiower, which whitens the prairies with its millions, spreading from 

 the great lakes to the Rockies. This plant is for the time the food of 

 all creatures, the grass not yet being grown, so on it buffaloes, deer, 

 horses, cattle, crane, grouse, geese, gophers, and all but carnivorous 

 animals subsist. The receptacle is large and fleshy and apparently 

 very nutritious. To the taste it is very pungent, so it may hasten 

 the breeding season of the grouse, etc. 



During spring and summer the grouse are assembled every morn- 

 ing on the top of some chosen hillock in companies of half-a-dozen 

 or more. Here there is a regular performance called " Partridge 

 Dance," the birds runniug about, strutting and crowing in an 

 extraordinary manner. I refer the reader to Wilson, as his account 

 thereof is more detailed than any I can give. I may state, however,, 

 that he says these dances terminate when all are paired, whereas I 

 find them to continue until the young ai-e hatched, and, indeed, I 

 begin to have little faith in the pairing at all, as this " hillock dance" 

 appears to be the common nuptials of the tribe, and it is difficult to 

 see how the males and females can both be there (the males are 

 most indefatigable in their attendance) if the males have anything 

 to do with the eggs. 



