﻿RUFFED 
  GROUSE. 
  35 
  

  

  Dr. 
  John 
  H. 
  Brinton. 
  of 
  Jefferson 
  Medical 
  College, 
  has 
  known 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  cases 
  of 
  glossitis 
  (inflammation 
  of 
  the 
  tongue) 
  caused 
  by 
  eating 
  

   grouse 
  that 
  had 
  fed 
  on 
  laurel, 
  and 
  Dr. 
  X. 
  Shoemaker 
  has 
  also 
  known 
  

   of 
  serious 
  illness 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  source. 
  6 
  V. 
  K. 
  Chestnut, 
  Department 
  

   specialist 
  on 
  poisonous 
  plants, 
  gave 
  an 
  extract 
  made 
  from 
  laurel 
  

   leaves 
  to 
  a 
  chicken, 
  which 
  he 
  subsequently 
  killed 
  and 
  fed 
  to 
  a 
  cat. 
  

   The 
  cat 
  was 
  seriously 
  affected, 
  but 
  ultimately 
  recovered. 
  In 
  Phila- 
  

   delphia 
  in 
  1790 
  the 
  public 
  was 
  alarmed 
  over 
  the 
  possibilities 
  of 
  laurel 
  

   poisoning, 
  and 
  the 
  sale 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  was 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  forbidden. 
  Dr. 
  

   B. 
  H. 
  Warren 
  shot 
  10 
  birds 
  when 
  the 
  ground 
  was 
  deeply 
  covered 
  with 
  

   snow, 
  and 
  found 
  their 
  crops 
  stuffed 
  with 
  laurel 
  buds. 
  c 
  Not 
  more 
  

   than 
  half 
  a 
  dozen 
  stomachs 
  of 
  the 
  208 
  examined 
  by 
  the 
  Biological 
  

   Survey 
  contained 
  fragments 
  of 
  this 
  plant, 
  the 
  explanation 
  probably 
  

   being 
  that 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  stomachs 
  were 
  collected 
  in 
  late 
  winter, 
  when 
  

   birds 
  most 
  resort 
  to 
  it. 
  Four 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  that 
  contained 
  laurel 
  were 
  

   used 
  for 
  food, 
  with 
  no 
  evident 
  ill 
  effect. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  had 
  eaten 
  14: 
  

   grams 
  of 
  laurel, 
  nearly 
  all 
  leaves, 
  with 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  buds. 
  The 
  leaves 
  

   had 
  been 
  clipped 
  into 
  bits 
  as 
  if 
  by 
  scissors. 
  Investigation 
  of 
  this 
  

   habit 
  of 
  the 
  grouse, 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  common 
  one, 
  is 
  much 
  needed. 
  The 
  

   maple 
  is 
  often 
  selected 
  for 
  budding, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  the 
  spicebush. 
  

   Flowers 
  are 
  sometimes 
  plucked 
  by 
  browsing 
  grouse. 
  Asters 
  and 
  red 
  

   clover 
  have 
  been 
  identified 
  in 
  their 
  food, 
  and 
  the 
  green 
  ovary 
  of 
  

   bloodroot 
  (Sanguinaria) 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  bird's 
  crop 
  by 
  Amos 
  W. 
  

   Butler. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  plants 
  also 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  browse 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  : 
  

  

  Heuchera 
  (Heuchera 
  americana). 
  Meadow 
  rue 
  (Thai 
  let 
  rum 
  sp.). 
  

  

  Chickweed 
  (Alsine 
  p 
  libera). 
  Smilax 
  (S 
  mil 
  ax 
  glauca). 
  

  

  Catnip 
  (Xepeta 
  cataria). 
  Horsetail 
  rush 
  (Equisetum 
  sp.). 
  

  

  Ciuquefoil 
  (Potentilla 
  argentea). 
  Azalea 
  (Azalea 
  sp.). 
  

  

  "Buttercup 
  (Ranunculus 
  l)ull)osa 
  False 
  goat's 
  beard 
  (Astill)e 
  sp.). 
  

  

  aud 
  R. 
  acris). 
  Aster 
  (Aster 
  sp.). 
  

  

  Speedwell 
  (Veronica 
  officinalis). 
  Cud 
  weed 
  (Gnaphalium 
  purpu- 
  

   Saxifrage 
  (Saxifraga 
  sp.). 
  reuni). 
  

  

  Live-forever 
  (Seel 
  urn 
  sp. 
  ). 
  

  

  FRUIT. 
  

  

  The 
  ruffed 
  grouse 
  is 
  preeminently 
  a 
  berry 
  eater. 
  Not 
  only 
  does 
  it 
  

   consume 
  more 
  fruit 
  than 
  the 
  bobwhite, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  our 
  most 
  frugivorous 
  

   game 
  bird. 
  More 
  than 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  its 
  yearly 
  food 
  — 
  28.32 
  percent 
  — 
  

   consists 
  of 
  fruit, 
  distributed 
  as 
  follows: 
  3.82 
  percent 
  rose 
  hips, 
  2.46 
  

   percent 
  poison 
  ivy 
  and 
  sumac, 
  3.01 
  percent 
  grapes, 
  and 
  19.03 
  percent 
  

   miscellaneous 
  fruits. 
  

  

  a 
  Warren, 
  Birds 
  of 
  Penn., 
  p. 
  108, 
  1890. 
  

  

  6 
  North 
  Am. 
  Med. 
  Journ., 
  I, 
  pp. 
  321-322, 
  182G. 
  

  

  c 
  Birds 
  of 
  Pennsylvania, 
  p. 
  108, 
  1890. 
  

  

  