﻿SAGE 
  GROUSE. 
  23 
  

  

  leading 
  all 
  other 
  birds 
  in 
  this 
  respect. 
  A 
  half 
  pint 
  of 
  the 
  showy, 
  

   bluish 
  blossoms 
  of 
  the 
  pasque 
  flower 
  {Pulsatilla 
  hirsutissima) 
  which 
  

   brightens 
  the 
  western 
  prairie 
  are 
  often 
  taken 
  at 
  a 
  meal, 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  dandelion 
  also 
  are 
  eaten. 
  Inflorescence 
  of 
  grasses, 
  alder, 
  willow, 
  

   maple, 
  and 
  canoe 
  birch 
  are 
  plucked 
  along 
  with 
  leaf 
  buds. 
  

  

  Like 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen 
  and 
  the 
  ruffed 
  grouse, 
  the 
  sharp-tailed 
  grouse 
  

   is 
  frugivorous, 
  and 
  fruit 
  forms 
  27.68 
  percent 
  of 
  its 
  diet. 
  Hips 
  of 
  

   wild 
  rose 
  alone 
  form 
  17.38 
  percent. 
  Ernest 
  Thompson 
  Set 
  on, 
  who 
  

   examined 
  hundreds 
  of 
  stomachs 
  of 
  the 
  sharp-tailed 
  grouse, 
  says 
  that 
  

   he 
  can 
  not 
  recollect 
  an 
  instance 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  contain 
  the 
  

   stony 
  seeds 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  rose 
  {Rosa 
  blancla 
  [ 
  ?] 
  ) 
  . 
  a 
  The 
  Biological 
  Sur- 
  

   vey 
  has 
  found 
  rose 
  seeds 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  stomachs 
  examined, 
  but 
  in 
  

   numerous 
  instances 
  it 
  has 
  recorded 
  their 
  absence. 
  The 
  fruit 
  of 
  both 
  

   prairie 
  rose 
  and 
  the 
  sweetbrier 
  {Rosa 
  rubiginosa) 
  are 
  eaten. 
  Mr. 
  

   Seton 
  states 
  that 
  in 
  places 
  in 
  Manitoba 
  where 
  he 
  has 
  collected 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  winter, 
  gravel 
  to 
  pulverize 
  the 
  food 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  had, 
  and 
  the 
  

   stony 
  rose 
  seeds 
  act 
  in 
  its 
  stead. 
  Rose 
  hips 
  appear 
  difficult 
  to 
  digest, 
  and, 
  

   furthermore, 
  are 
  sometimes 
  thickly 
  set 
  with 
  bristles 
  that 
  would 
  irri- 
  

   tate 
  the 
  human 
  stomach, 
  but 
  appear 
  to 
  cause 
  no 
  inconvenience 
  to 
  the 
  

   grouse. 
  The 
  persistent 
  bright-colored 
  hips 
  are 
  readily 
  seen 
  above 
  the 
  

   snow, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  a 
  boon 
  to 
  the 
  birds 
  in 
  wintry 
  northern 
  regions, 
  

   where 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  existence 
  is 
  bitter. 
  Other 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  rose 
  

   family 
  furnish 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  sharp-tailed 
  grouse, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  thorn 
  

   apple 
  {Crataegus 
  sp.), 
  the 
  wild 
  strawberry, 
  and 
  the 
  wild 
  black 
  cherry 
  

   {Primus 
  serotina) 
  . 
  It 
  feeds 
  on 
  blueberries 
  and 
  cranberries 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   snowberry 
  {Symphoricarpus 
  racemosus), 
  various 
  species 
  of 
  manza- 
  

   nita, 
  bearberry 
  {Arctostaphylos 
  uva-ursi), 
  buffalo 
  berry 
  {Lepargyrea 
  

   argentea), 
  juniper 
  berries, 
  huckleberries, 
  and 
  arbutus 
  berries. 
  It 
  

   takes 
  also 
  the 
  partridge 
  berry 
  {Mitchella 
  repens), 
  a 
  favorite 
  with 
  the 
  

   ruffed 
  grouse. 
  Like 
  many 
  other 
  species, 
  it 
  eats 
  with 
  relish 
  the 
  fruit 
  

   of 
  cornel 
  {Cornus 
  stolonifera) 
  and 
  poison 
  ivy 
  (both 
  Rhus 
  radicans 
  

   and 
  Rhus 
  diversiloba) 
  . 
  

  

  THE 
  SAGE 
  GROUSE. 
  

  

  ( 
  Centrocercus 
  uropliaslanus. 
  ) 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  turkey, 
  the 
  sage 
  grouse 
  is 
  our 
  largest 
  

   game 
  fowl. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  fine-looking 
  bird, 
  with 
  gray 
  back, 
  black 
  breast, 
  

   and 
  long 
  tail, 
  and 
  attains 
  a 
  maximum 
  weight 
  of 
  8 
  pounds. 
  It 
  breeds 
  

   on 
  the 
  sagebrush 
  plains 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Sonoran 
  and 
  Transition 
  zones, 
  

   from 
  the 
  east 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  and 
  Cascade 
  mountains 
  in 
  

   Nevada, 
  California, 
  and 
  British 
  Columbia, 
  east 
  to 
  Assiniboia, 
  Dakota, 
  

   Nebraska, 
  and 
  Colorado. 
  At 
  mating 
  time 
  the 
  cock 
  inflates 
  the 
  sacs 
  

  

  aProc. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Nat. 
  Mus. 
  XIII, 
  p. 
  519, 
  1890 
  (1891). 
  

  

  