﻿LESSEE 
  PRAIKIE 
  HEN. 
  19 
  

  

  Connecticut 
  and 
  the 
  eastern 
  parts 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  New 
  Jersey, 
  Penn- 
  

   sylvania, 
  and 
  Virginia. 
  

  

  As 
  no 
  stomachs 
  of 
  this 
  now 
  rare 
  bird 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  had 
  for 
  examina- 
  

   tion, 
  we 
  must 
  depend 
  on 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  other 
  investigators 
  for 
  knowl- 
  

   edge 
  of 
  its 
  food 
  habits. 
  Audubon 
  a 
  quotes 
  David 
  Eckley 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  bayberry, 
  wbich 
  abounds 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  Martba's 
  Vineyard, 
  is 
  tbe 
  

   principal 
  food 
  of 
  tbe 
  Grous 
  particularly 
  sucb 
  as 
  grows 
  on 
  low 
  busbes 
  near 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  and 
  is 
  easily 
  reached 
  by 
  tbe 
  birds. 
  They 
  also 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  boxberry, 
  

   or 
  partridge 
  berry, 
  the 
  highland 
  and 
  lowland 
  cranberry, 
  rosebuds, 
  pine 
  and 
  

   alder 
  buds, 
  acorns, 
  etc. 
  

  

  William 
  Brewster 
  in 
  1890 
  ascertained 
  that, 
  all 
  told, 
  there 
  were 
  

   probably 
  only 
  about 
  200 
  heath 
  hens, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  confined 
  to 
  

   about 
  40 
  square 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Marthas 
  Vineyard. 
  In 
  speak- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  their 
  habits, 
  he 
  says 
  : 
  6 
  

  

  At 
  all 
  seasons 
  the 
  heath 
  hens 
  live 
  almost 
  exclusively 
  in 
  the 
  oak 
  woods, 
  

   where 
  the 
  acorns 
  furnish 
  them 
  abundant 
  food, 
  although, 
  like 
  our 
  ruffed 
  grouse, 
  

   they 
  occasionally, 
  at 
  early 
  morning 
  and 
  just 
  after 
  sunset, 
  venture 
  out 
  a 
  little 
  

   way 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  to 
  pick 
  up 
  scattered 
  grains 
  of 
  corn 
  or 
  to 
  pluck 
  a 
  few 
  clover 
  

   leaves, 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  extremely 
  fond. 
  They 
  also 
  wander 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  

   over 
  the 
  scrub-oak 
  plains, 
  especially 
  when 
  blueberries 
  are 
  ripe 
  and 
  abundant. 
  

   In 
  winter, 
  during 
  long-continued 
  snows, 
  they 
  sometimes 
  approach 
  buildings 
  to 
  

   feed 
  upon 
  the 
  grain 
  which 
  the 
  farmers 
  throw 
  out 
  to 
  them. 
  

  

  If 
  this 
  bird 
  can 
  be 
  saved 
  from 
  extinction 
  and 
  introduced 
  into 
  many 
  

   of 
  the 
  Eastern 
  States, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  much 
  more 
  likely 
  to 
  succeed, 
  on 
  ac- 
  

   count 
  of 
  its 
  woodland 
  habits 
  and 
  narrow 
  range, 
  than 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen, 
  

   which 
  requires 
  a 
  more 
  open 
  country 
  and 
  usually 
  does 
  not 
  take 
  refuge 
  

   in 
  woods 
  from. 
  its 
  enemies. 
  Experiments 
  with 
  the 
  heath 
  hen 
  must 
  be 
  

   made 
  soon, 
  however, 
  or 
  it 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  become 
  extinct. 
  

  

  THE 
  LESSER 
  PRAIRIE 
  HEN. 
  

  

  (Tympanuchus 
  palUdicinctus.) 
  

  

  The 
  lesser 
  prairie 
  hen 
  is 
  a 
  smaller 
  bird 
  than 
  the 
  common 
  species 
  

   of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Valley 
  and 
  is 
  found 
  from 
  western 
  Texas 
  north 
  

   to 
  western 
  Kansas. 
  But 
  little 
  of 
  its 
  life 
  history 
  is 
  known. 
  It 
  

   has 
  been 
  found 
  breeding 
  abundantly 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  June 
  at 
  Fort 
  

   Cobb, 
  Ind. 
  T., 
  and 
  William 
  Lloyd 
  observed 
  this 
  grouse 
  wintering 
  

   in 
  Concho 
  and 
  Tom 
  Green 
  counties, 
  Tex. 
  H. 
  C. 
  Oberholser, 
  of 
  

   the 
  Biological 
  Survey, 
  found 
  them 
  common 
  in 
  August, 
  1901, 
  in 
  

   Wheeler 
  County, 
  Tex., 
  where 
  they 
  frequented 
  rolling 
  plains 
  over- 
  

   grown 
  with 
  oak 
  brush 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  4 
  feet 
  high. 
  These 
  oaks 
  are 
  ever- 
  

   green, 
  and 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen 
  feeds 
  upon 
  the 
  buds 
  and 
  young 
  shoots. 
  

   At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  Oberholser's 
  visit 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  in 
  coveys 
  of 
  from 
  

  

  «Ornith. 
  Biog., 
  II, 
  p. 
  500, 
  1835. 
  

  

  » 
  Forest 
  and 
  Stream, 
  XXXV, 
  p. 
  188, 
  1890. 
  

  

  