RUFFED GROUSE (Bonasa umbellus) 



Length, 17 inches. The broad black band 

 near tip of tail distinguishes this from other 

 grouse. 



Range: Resident in the northern two-thirds 

 of the United States and in the forested parts 

 of Canada. 



Habits and economic status; The ruffed 

 grouse, the famed drummer and finest game 

 bird (if the northern woods, is usually wild and 

 wary and under reasonable protection well 

 withstands the attacks of hunters. Moreover, 

 when r-educed in numbers, it responds to pro- 

 tection in a gratifying manner and has proved 

 to be well adapted to propagation under arti- 

 ficial conditions. Wild fruit, mast, and browse 

 make up the bulk of the vegetable food of this 

 species. It is very fond of hazelnuts, beech- 

 nuts, chestnuts, and acorns, and it eats practi- 

 cally all kinds of wild berries and other fruits. 

 Xearly 60 kinds of fruits have been identified 

 from the stomach contents examined. Various 

 weed seeds also are constmied. Slightly more 

 than 10 per cent of the food consists of in- 

 sects, about half being beetles. The most im- 

 portant pests devoured are the potato beetle, 

 clover-root weevil, the pale-striped flea beetle, 

 grapevine leaf-beetle. May beetles, grasshop- 

 pers, cotton worms, army worms, cutworms, 

 the red-humped apple worm, and sawfly larvje. 



BOBWHITE (Colinus virginianus) 



Length, 10 inches. I\nown everywhere by 

 the cle.ar \\histle that suggests its name. 



Range : Resident in the United St.ates east 

 of the plains; introduced in many places in the 

 West. 



Habits and econi:iniic status: The bobwhile 

 is loved by every dweller in the country and is 

 1 letter known to more hunters in the LTnited 

 States than any other game bird. It is no less 

 appreciated on the table than in the field, and 

 in many States has unc|uestional)ly been hunted 

 too closeh'. Fortunately it seems to be practi- 

 cable to propagate the Ijird in captix'ity, and 

 much is to be hoped for in this direction. Half 

 the food of this c|uail consists of weed seeds, 

 almost a fourth of grain, and aliout a tenth of 

 wild fruits. iVlthough thus eating grain, the 

 bird gets most of it from stubble. Fifteen per 

 cent of the bobwhite's food is composed of in- 

 sects, including several of the most serious 

 I)ests of agriculture. It feeds freely upon 

 Colorado potato beetles and chinch bugs; it 

 de\'Ours also cucumber beetles, wireworms, 

 billbugs, clover-leaf weevils, cotton-bull wee- 

 \'ils, army worms, boUworms, cutworms, and 

 Rocky Mountain locusts. Boljwhite is very 

 useful to the farmer, and while it ma_\- not be 

 necessary to remove it from the list (if game 

 Inrds every farmer should see that his own 

 farm is not depleted by eager s|)(jrtsnien. 



I'll ij; 



111 \\ oijUcuck 



-■\ RUFFKD groust; about to druji 



Of all the characteristics of this superb game bird, its habit of drunuuing is perhaps 

 the most remarkable. This loud tattoo liegins with the measured thump <>i the big drum, 

 then gradually changes and dies away in the rumble of the kettle-drum. It may be bricfl\- 

 represented thus: Thump — thitmp — tlviiiip — thtnut', llitiiup: thump, thuiiip-rup nip rup rup 

 r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r. The sound is produced by the male bird beating the air with his wings as 

 he stands firmly braced on some favorite lnw perch : and it is nnw quite well known to be 

 the call of the male to the female — an announcement that he is at the did rendezvous. 



