﻿14 
  GBOUSE 
  AND 
  WILD 
  TUBltEYS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  consin, 
  Nebraska, 
  and 
  Texas; 
  Illinois 
  and 
  Ontario 
  furnished 
  the 
  

   rest. 
  The 
  food 
  consisted 
  of 
  14.11 
  percent 
  animal 
  matter 
  and 
  85.89 
  

   percent 
  vegetable 
  matter. 
  The 
  former 
  was 
  insects; 
  the 
  latter 
  seeds, 
  

   fruit, 
  grain, 
  leaves, 
  flowers, 
  and 
  bud 
  twigs. 
  

  

  Insect 
  Food. 
  

  

  The 
  insect 
  food 
  included 
  12.78 
  percent 
  of 
  grasshoppers, 
  0.48 
  per- 
  

   cent 
  of 
  beetles, 
  0.39 
  percent 
  of 
  bugs, 
  0.12 
  percent 
  of 
  ants 
  and 
  other 
  

   Hymenoptera, 
  0.29 
  percent 
  of 
  other 
  insects, 
  and 
  0.05 
  percent 
  of 
  

   spiders. 
  The 
  ruffed 
  grouse 
  takes 
  about 
  one-sixth 
  less 
  and 
  the 
  

   bobwhite 
  about 
  one-third 
  more 
  of 
  insects 
  than 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen. 
  

   Although 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  destroys 
  injurious 
  grasshoppers, 
  the 
  relative 
  

   proportions 
  of 
  grasshoppers 
  and 
  beetles 
  consumed 
  by 
  it 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  

   prairie 
  hen 
  are 
  notably 
  different. 
  In 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  the 
  

   grasshoppers 
  are 
  to 
  the 
  beetles 
  as 
  3.71 
  to 
  6.92; 
  with 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen 
  

   the 
  ratio 
  stands 
  as 
  12.78 
  to 
  0.48. 
  Indeed, 
  grasshoppers 
  constitute 
  

   the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen's 
  animal 
  diet, 
  the 
  reason 
  being 
  probably 
  

   that 
  on 
  the 
  prairies 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  vastly 
  outnumber 
  all 
  other 
  

   sizable 
  insects. 
  For 
  a 
  gallinaceous 
  bird 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen 
  is 
  highly 
  

   insectivorous 
  from 
  May 
  to 
  October, 
  inclusive, 
  insects 
  constituting 
  

   one-third 
  of 
  the 
  fare 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  shot 
  during 
  this 
  period. 
  The 
  

   species 
  is 
  particularly 
  valuable 
  as 
  an 
  enemy 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  

   locust. 
  During 
  an 
  invasion 
  by 
  this 
  pest 
  in 
  Nebraska, 
  16 
  out 
  of 
  20 
  

   grouse 
  killed 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Samuel 
  Aughey 
  from 
  May 
  to 
  October, 
  inclusive, 
  

   had 
  eaten 
  866 
  locusts 
  — 
  a 
  creditable 
  performance, 
  economically 
  rated. 
  

   Some 
  ornithologists 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  diminution 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   prairie 
  hens 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  measure 
  responsible 
  for 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  certain 
  

   insects. 
  Farmers 
  who 
  know 
  these 
  facts 
  must 
  regret 
  the 
  extinction 
  of 
  

   the 
  bird 
  in 
  States 
  where 
  it 
  once 
  thrived, 
  and 
  they 
  may 
  well 
  support 
  

   measures 
  for 
  reintroducing 
  and 
  protecting 
  ^it. 
  

  

  Almost 
  every 
  kind 
  of 
  grasshopper 
  and 
  locust 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  accept- 
  

   able 
  to 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen. 
  In 
  the 
  following 
  list 
  are 
  named 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  

   short-horned 
  grasshoppers 
  identified 
  in 
  its 
  food 
  : 
  

  

  Opomala 
  sp. 
  Schistocerca 
  americana. 
  

  

  Mermiria 
  alacris. 
  Cordillacris 
  occipitalis. 
  

  

  Philibostroma 
  quadrimaculatum. 
  Stenobothrus 
  curtipennis. 
  

  

  Leptysma 
  sp. 
  Melanoplus 
  femur-rubrum. 
  

  

  Psolcessa 
  sp. 
  Melanoplus 
  atlanis. 
  

  

  Ageneotettix 
  scudderi. 
  Melanoplus 
  bivittatus. 
  

  

  Spharagemon 
  sp. 
  

  

  The 
  prairie 
  hen 
  eats 
  also 
  long-horned 
  grasshoppers 
  (Xiphidium 
  sp., 
  

   Conocephalus 
  sp., 
  and 
  Orchelimum 
  sp.) 
  and 
  crickets 
  (Gryllus 
  sp.) 
  

   and 
  tree 
  crickets 
  ((Ecanthas 
  sp.). 
  

  

  In 
  its 
  beetle 
  diet 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen 
  makes 
  up 
  in 
  variety 
  what 
  it 
  lacks 
  

   in 
  quantity. 
  Unlike 
  our 
  common 
  small 
  passerine 
  birds, 
  but 
  like 
  our 
  

   other 
  gallinaceous 
  birds, 
  it 
  feeds 
  on 
  the 
  harmful 
  leaf 
  beetles. 
  It 
  

  

  