﻿BUFFED 
  GROUSE. 
  33 
  

  

  grouse 
  at 
  dusk 
  balancing 
  on 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  birch 
  branches 
  and 
  snipping 
  

   off 
  buds. 
  As 
  with 
  the 
  poplar, 
  both 
  leaf 
  buds 
  and 
  flower 
  buds 
  are 
  

   taken. 
  A 
  grouse 
  shot 
  in 
  Quebec 
  December 
  18, 
  1896, 
  had 
  filled 
  its 
  

   crop 
  with 
  200 
  catkins 
  of 
  the 
  canoe 
  birch. 
  As 
  a 
  rule 
  birds 
  appear 
  to 
  

   prefer 
  the 
  male 
  to 
  the 
  female 
  flowers. 
  Baird, 
  Brewer, 
  and 
  Ridgway 
  

   are 
  authority 
  for 
  the 
  statement 
  that 
  in 
  Maine 
  the 
  buds 
  of 
  black 
  

   birch 
  are 
  so 
  freely 
  eaten 
  that 
  they 
  impart 
  to 
  the 
  bird's 
  flesh 
  a 
  dis- 
  

   tinctive 
  and 
  agreeable 
  flavor. 
  The 
  ruffed 
  grouse 
  feeds 
  also 
  on 
  the 
  

   buds 
  and 
  leaves 
  of 
  different 
  species 
  of 
  willow, 
  as 
  Major 
  Bendire 
  a 
  

   and 
  other 
  authors 
  have 
  reported. 
  A 
  bird 
  shot 
  on 
  Roseau 
  River, 
  

   Minnesota, 
  October 
  20, 
  1896, 
  had 
  eaten 
  20 
  willow 
  flowers. 
  In 
  bud- 
  

   ding, 
  the 
  grouse 
  often 
  clips 
  from 
  a 
  fourth 
  to 
  half 
  an 
  inch 
  of 
  a 
  twig 
  

   which 
  bears 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  buds. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  buds 
  and 
  leaves 
  of 
  willow, 
  birch, 
  and 
  poplar, 
  

   browse 
  from 
  miscellaneous 
  plants 
  provides 
  the 
  bird 
  with 
  27.91 
  per- 
  

   cent 
  of 
  its 
  food. 
  Such 
  relatives 
  of 
  the 
  willow 
  as 
  the 
  alder, 
  hazel, 
  

   beech, 
  ironwood, 
  and 
  hornbeam 
  furnish 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  above. 
  Apple 
  

   trees 
  on 
  outlying 
  parts 
  of 
  farms 
  are 
  favorite 
  sources 
  of 
  supply. 
  This 
  

   fact, 
  noted 
  by 
  many 
  observers 
  and 
  confirmed 
  by 
  the 
  present 
  investiga- 
  

   tion, 
  has 
  given 
  rise 
  to 
  considerable 
  discussion 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  or 
  not 
  the 
  

   trees 
  are 
  seriously 
  injured 
  by 
  the 
  budding. 
  Dr. 
  Clarence 
  M. 
  Weed 
  

   says 
  : 
  h 
  

  

  The 
  ruffed 
  grouse, 
  however, 
  is 
  capable 
  of 
  inflicting 
  real 
  damage 
  by 
  a 
  too 
  

   close 
  pruning 
  of 
  buds, 
  and 
  cases 
  are 
  known 
  where 
  apple 
  orchards 
  located 
  near 
  

   woods 
  have 
  been 
  rendered 
  useless 
  by 
  them. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  C. 
  J. 
  Maynard 
  states 
  that 
  he 
  took 
  180 
  apple 
  buds 
  from 
  one 
  

   crop, 
  and 
  says 
  that 
  in 
  Massachusetts 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  a 
  bounty 
  of 
  25 
  cents 
  

   was 
  offered 
  by 
  certain 
  towns 
  for 
  the 
  birds' 
  heads. 
  Miss 
  M. 
  E. 
  

   Paine, 
  of 
  Royalston, 
  Mass., 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  to 
  the 
  writer 
  describes 
  her 
  

   observations 
  on 
  the 
  budding 
  of 
  apple 
  trees 
  by 
  grouse 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  ruffed 
  grouse 
  eats 
  the 
  buds 
  of 
  apple 
  trees, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  help 
  rather 
  than 
  a 
  

   damage. 
  Last 
  year 
  a 
  wild 
  apple 
  tree 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  a 
  hill, 
  between 
  pasture 
  and 
  

   mowing, 
  was 
  almost 
  entirely 
  budded. 
  I 
  thought 
  entirely 
  at 
  first, 
  but 
  the 
  ter- 
  

   minal 
  buds 
  were 
  almost 
  always 
  left 
  uninjured, 
  also 
  many 
  minute 
  buds 
  on 
  each 
  

   limb. 
  The 
  result 
  was 
  the 
  terminal 
  buds 
  were 
  pushed 
  out 
  and 
  grew 
  rapidly 
  and 
  

   strongly. 
  The 
  tree 
  blossomed 
  abundantly 
  and 
  the 
  fruit 
  hung 
  in 
  clusters 
  toward 
  

   the 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  branches. 
  The 
  tree 
  is 
  of 
  medium 
  size 
  and 
  the 
  branches 
  droop 
  

   to 
  the 
  ground. 
  In 
  the 
  fall 
  the 
  golden 
  apples 
  occupied 
  fully 
  as 
  much 
  room 
  as 
  the 
  

   green 
  leaves, 
  and 
  as 
  one 
  looked 
  at 
  the 
  tree 
  a 
  few 
  rods 
  away 
  — 
  a 
  perfect 
  pic- 
  

   ture, 
  barrels 
  of 
  apples 
  on 
  it, 
  all 
  nearly 
  perfect 
  and 
  fair, 
  just 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  

   vigorous 
  trimming. 
  This 
  year 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  so 
  badly 
  budded 
  — 
  less 
  snow 
  in 
  

   winter. 
  Many 
  small 
  buds 
  farther 
  back 
  in 
  the 
  branches 
  have 
  started 
  again 
  this 
  

  

  a 
  Life 
  Hist. 
  N. 
  A. 
  Birds, 
  [I], 
  p. 
  66, 
  1892. 
  

  

  6 
  Birds 
  in 
  Their 
  Relation 
  to 
  Man, 
  p. 
  40, 
  1903. 
  

  

  o 
  Birds 
  of 
  Eastern 
  N. 
  A,, 
  p. 
  353, 
  1881. 
  

  

  