THE CANADA GROUSE. 143 



The food of the Canada Grouse is wild berries and 

 the buds of diiFerent trees and bushes, and in winter 

 spruce tops and the seeds found in the cones of the 

 pines. The flesh, which is dark, is very like that of 

 the common grouse, but more bitter, and in the latter 

 season has a considerable flavour of turpentine. 



This is the smallest of the three kinds of grouse 

 inhabiting Canada, and does not exceed fifteen inches in 

 length. Its acclimatization has been, I am told, con- 

 templated with a view to its introduction into this 

 country, in certain districts of which no doubt it would 

 succeed well enough ; and where there is no other game 

 to be interfered with, might prove to be an acquisition 

 well worth the trouble of the experiment. 



The Prairie-Hen {Cupidonia Cupido), though bearing 

 a general famUy resemblance to the red grouse of Britain, 

 will be seen on comparison with it to be a much larger 

 bird, the male measuring about nineteen inches in length, 

 and averaging nearly three pounds avoirdupois in weight ; 

 not far from that of an ordinary cock pheasant.* 



The flesh is dark, very tender, and of most excellent 

 flavour. Individual birds often vary very much in 

 colour, as is the case mth our own grouse, which in some 

 parts of Scotland are much lighter coloured than their 



* The average weight of the Scottish grouse is 1^ lb. 



