﻿18 
  GKOUSE 
  AND 
  WILD 
  TUKKEYS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  or 
  shoots, 
  0.55 
  percent 
  ; 
  flowers, 
  9.34 
  percent, 
  and 
  leaves, 
  15.20 
  percent. 
  

   This 
  is 
  only 
  half 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  similar 
  food 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  ruffed 
  

   grouse. 
  Naturally 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  given 
  to 
  budding 
  than 
  

   the 
  ruffed 
  grouse, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  pluck 
  buds 
  of 
  poplar, 
  

   elm, 
  pine, 
  apple, 
  dwarf 
  birch 
  (Betula 
  glandulosa) 
  , 
  and 
  black 
  birch 
  

   (B. 
  lento). 
  " 
  I 
  have 
  counted 
  more 
  than 
  50 
  on 
  a 
  single 
  apple 
  tree," 
  

   writes 
  Audubon, 
  " 
  the 
  buds 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  entirely 
  destroyed 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  

   hours. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  They 
  were, 
  in 
  fact, 
  looked 
  upon 
  with 
  more 
  abhor- 
  

   rence 
  than 
  the 
  crows 
  are 
  at 
  present 
  in 
  Massachusetts 
  and 
  Maine, 
  on 
  

   account 
  of 
  the 
  mischief 
  they 
  committed 
  among 
  the 
  fruit 
  trees 
  of 
  the 
  

   orchards 
  during 
  winter, 
  when 
  they 
  fed 
  on 
  their 
  buds, 
  or 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  

   spring 
  months, 
  they 
  picked 
  up 
  the 
  grain 
  in 
  the 
  fields." 
  This 
  mischief 
  

   was 
  due 
  largely 
  to 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  birds, 
  a 
  condition 
  never 
  

   likely 
  to 
  return. 
  

  

  The 
  prairie 
  hen 
  shows 
  a 
  marked 
  taste 
  for 
  flowers. 
  A 
  delicate 
  pink 
  

   rosebud 
  had 
  been 
  plucked 
  by 
  a 
  bird 
  shot 
  at 
  Omega, 
  Nebr., 
  in 
  June. 
  

   More 
  than 
  a 
  thousand 
  golden-rod 
  heads 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  another. 
  

   Additional 
  composite 
  flowers 
  devoured 
  were 
  Amphiachyris 
  (Amphia- 
  

   chyris 
  dracunculoides) 
  , 
  sweet 
  balsam 
  (Gnaphalium 
  obtusifolium) 
  , 
  

   and 
  others. 
  The 
  floAver 
  and 
  leaf 
  buds 
  of 
  birch 
  and 
  apple 
  also 
  are 
  

   taken. 
  Small 
  green 
  ovariesof 
  Ruellia 
  and 
  blue-eyed 
  grass 
  were 
  noted 
  

   in 
  a 
  few 
  cases. 
  These 
  birds 
  eat 
  leaves, 
  including 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  butter- 
  

   cup, 
  everlasting 
  {Antennaria) 
  , 
  red 
  and 
  white 
  clover, 
  and 
  the 
  interest- 
  

   ing 
  water 
  milfoil 
  (Myriopliyllum) 
  , 
  often 
  grown 
  in 
  goldfish 
  globes. 
  

  

  Food 
  of 
  the 
  Young. 
  

  

  The 
  economic 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen 
  is 
  due 
  mainly 
  to 
  its 
  destruc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  weeds 
  and 
  harmful 
  insects, 
  the 
  latter 
  constituting 
  almost 
  the 
  

   sole 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  downy 
  chick. 
  Unfortunately 
  only 
  two 
  stomachs 
  of 
  

   young 
  birds 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  had 
  for 
  examination. 
  The 
  chicks 
  were 
  re- 
  

   cently 
  hatched 
  Texas 
  prairie 
  hens 
  (Tympanuchus 
  americanus 
  att- 
  

   wateri) 
  . 
  They 
  had 
  eaten 
  1 
  tree 
  cricket, 
  5 
  undetermined 
  caterpillars, 
  

   1 
  imago 
  of 
  the 
  very 
  destructive 
  Angoumois 
  grain 
  moth, 
  1 
  leaf 
  beetle 
  

   (Monoxia 
  puncticollis) 
  , 
  and 
  19 
  12-spotted 
  cucumber 
  beetles 
  (Dia- 
  

   brotica 
  12 
  - 
  punctata) 
  , 
  which 
  do 
  not 
  always 
  confine 
  themselves 
  to 
  

   cucumbers, 
  but 
  injure 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  dozen 
  other 
  cultivated 
  plants. 
  

  

  THE 
  HEATH 
  HEN. 
  

  

  (Tympanuclius 
  cupido.) 
  

  

  The 
  heath 
  hen, 
  which, 
  to 
  casual 
  view, 
  appears 
  like 
  a 
  small-sized 
  

   prairie 
  hen, 
  inhabits 
  the 
  scrub 
  oaks 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Marthas 
  Vine- 
  

   yard, 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Massachusetts. 
  It 
  was 
  formerly 
  abundant 
  in 
  

  

  a 
  Ornith. 
  Biog., 
  II, 
  pp. 
  491 
  and 
  501, 
  1835. 
  

  

  