﻿32 
  GROUSE 
  AND 
  WILD 
  TURKEYS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  lock, 
  the 
  pitch 
  pine, 
  and 
  the 
  maple. 
  The 
  following 
  miscellaneous 
  

   seeds 
  are 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  ruffed 
  grouse 
  : 
  

  

  Blackberry 
  lily 
  (Belamcanda 
  chi- 
  Beech-drops 
  (Leptamnium 
  virgini- 
  

  

  nensis). 
  anum). 
  

  

  Beggar-ticks 
  (Bidens 
  frondosa). 
  Avens 
  (Geum 
  sp.). 
  

  

  Cliickweed 
  (Alsine 
  media). 
  Persicaria 
  (Polygonum 
  pennsyl- 
  

  

  ■ 
  Sheep 
  sorrel 
  (Rumex 
  acetoseUa). 
  vanicum). 
  

  

  Sedge 
  (Carex 
  lupulina). 
  Frost 
  weed 
  (Helianthemum 
  cana- 
  

  

  Sedge 
  (Cyperus 
  sp.)- 
  dense). 
  

  

  Violet 
  (Viola 
  sp.). 
  Jewel 
  weed 
  (Impatiens 
  sp.). 
  

   Witch-hazel 
  (Hamamelis 
  virgini- 
  

  

  ana). 
  

  

  The 
  list 
  is 
  interesting 
  mainly 
  for 
  what 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  contain. 
  Fur- 
  

   ther 
  investigations 
  may 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  ruffed 
  grouse, 
  like 
  the 
  bob- 
  

   white 
  and 
  other 
  so-called 
  granivorous 
  species, 
  is 
  fond 
  of 
  ragweed, 
  

   sunflower, 
  and 
  grass 
  seed. 
  A 
  grouse 
  taken 
  in 
  British 
  Columbia 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  October 
  showed 
  a 
  peculiar 
  liking 
  for 
  the 
  apparently 
  dry 
  husks 
  

   of 
  geum 
  seeds, 
  no 
  fewer 
  than 
  500 
  appearing 
  in 
  its 
  crop. 
  

  

  BUDS 
  AND 
  LEAVES. 
  

  

  The 
  ruffed 
  grouse 
  spends 
  most 
  of 
  its 
  feeding 
  time 
  in 
  browsing 
  and 
  

   berry 
  picking. 
  It 
  thus 
  secures, 
  respectively, 
  48.11 
  percent 
  and 
  28.32 
  

   percent 
  of 
  its 
  food. 
  The 
  country 
  'boy 
  knows 
  where 
  it 
  resorts 
  for 
  

   budding, 
  and 
  often 
  bags 
  it 
  without 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  a 
  dog 
  or 
  hammerless 
  

   gun. 
  The 
  buds 
  and 
  foliage 
  of 
  poplar, 
  birch, 
  and 
  willow 
  form 
  20.20 
  

   percent 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  food. 
  Budding 
  is 
  most 
  practiced 
  in 
  winter 
  

   and 
  early 
  spring, 
  when 
  many 
  other 
  kinds 
  of 
  food 
  are 
  buried 
  in 
  snow. 
  

   Birch 
  and 
  poplar 
  buds 
  afford 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  largest 
  share 
  of 
  this 
  cold- 
  

   weather 
  diet. 
  Edward 
  A. 
  Preble 
  says 
  that 
  in 
  Canada 
  in 
  spring 
  the 
  

   sitting 
  hen 
  grouse 
  leave 
  the 
  nest, 
  fly 
  to 
  poplar 
  trees, 
  rapidly 
  fill 
  

   their 
  crops 
  with 
  buds, 
  and 
  then 
  hurry 
  back 
  to 
  their 
  eggs. 
  He 
  thinks 
  

   that 
  the 
  males, 
  having 
  plenty 
  of 
  time 
  to 
  spare 
  at 
  that 
  season, 
  prefer 
  

   to 
  search 
  for 
  choicer 
  food. 
  The 
  crop 
  of 
  a 
  hen 
  bird 
  that 
  he 
  shot 
  at 
  

   Fort 
  Chipewyan, 
  Athabasca, 
  May 
  29, 
  1901, 
  was 
  filled 
  with 
  young 
  

   leaves 
  of 
  poplar 
  (Populus 
  balsamifera) 
  . 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  buds 
  to 
  a 
  

   meal 
  is 
  surprising. 
  A 
  grouse 
  shot 
  at 
  Palmer, 
  Mich., 
  December 
  15, 
  

   1891, 
  contained 
  300 
  poplar 
  buds. 
  When 
  engaged 
  in 
  budding, 
  grouse 
  

   take 
  both 
  flower 
  buds 
  and 
  leaf 
  buds 
  ; 
  grown 
  leaves 
  of 
  poplar 
  also 
  are 
  

   eaten, 
  and, 
  not 
  infrequently, 
  the 
  flattened 
  petioles 
  that 
  catch 
  the 
  

   wind 
  and 
  give 
  the 
  leaves 
  their 
  characteristic 
  quiver. 
  Populus 
  bal- 
  

   samifera, 
  P. 
  tremuloides, 
  and 
  P. 
  grandidentata 
  are 
  among 
  the 
  species 
  

   on 
  which 
  they 
  feed. 
  Birch 
  buds 
  also 
  are 
  a 
  staple; 
  they 
  are 
  taken 
  

   from 
  the 
  canoe 
  birch 
  (Betula 
  papyrifera) 
  , 
  the 
  gray 
  birch 
  (B. 
  populi- 
  

   folia), 
  the 
  yellow 
  birch 
  (B. 
  lutea), 
  and 
  the 
  black 
  birch 
  (B. 
  lento). 
  

   Everybody 
  who 
  is 
  familiar 
  with 
  New 
  England 
  woods 
  has 
  seen 
  the 
  

  

  