﻿SPKUCE 
  GKOUSE. 
  39 
  

  

  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains, 
  to 
  Labrador 
  and 
  Alaska. 
  The 
  male 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  handsomest 
  of 
  the 
  grouse 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  gray, 
  with 
  black 
  bars 
  above 
  and 
  

   clear 
  black 
  and 
  white 
  below, 
  with 
  a 
  rusty 
  band 
  edging 
  its 
  fanlike 
  tail. 
  

   In 
  spring 
  brilliant 
  red 
  combs 
  above 
  the 
  eyes 
  add 
  to 
  the 
  beauty 
  of 
  the 
  

   strutting 
  cock. 
  These 
  birds 
  drum 
  in 
  an 
  odd 
  way: 
  The 
  male 
  selects 
  

   an 
  inclined 
  tree 
  and 
  flutters 
  up 
  the 
  trunk 
  for 
  15 
  to 
  20 
  feet, 
  drumming 
  

   as 
  he 
  goes. 
  The 
  spruce 
  grouse 
  nests 
  in 
  May 
  or 
  early 
  June 
  and 
  lays 
  

   from 
  9 
  to 
  16 
  buff-colored 
  eggs, 
  handsomely 
  marked 
  with 
  rich 
  chestnut 
  

   and 
  brown. 
  

  

  FOOD 
  HABITS. 
  

  

  Study 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  spruce 
  grouse 
  has 
  been 
  but 
  meager, 
  

   since 
  only 
  8 
  stomachs 
  were 
  available 
  for 
  examination. 
  These 
  were 
  

   collected 
  in 
  January, 
  May, 
  August, 
  September, 
  October, 
  and 
  Novem- 
  

   ber, 
  6 
  of 
  them 
  in 
  Canada, 
  1 
  in 
  Michigan, 
  and 
  1 
  in 
  Minnesota. 
  The 
  

   material 
  in 
  the 
  stomachs 
  consisted 
  of 
  100 
  percent 
  vegetable 
  matter 
  — 
  

   18.33 
  percent 
  seeds, 
  19.73 
  percent 
  fruit, 
  61.94 
  percent 
  coniferous 
  

   foliage. 
  The 
  seeds 
  were 
  of 
  spruce, 
  thistle, 
  and 
  several 
  unidentifi- 
  

   able 
  plants. 
  In 
  its 
  frugivorous 
  habits 
  the 
  spruce 
  grouse 
  closely 
  

   resembles 
  its 
  relative, 
  the 
  blue 
  grouse. 
  The 
  proportion 
  of 
  bear- 
  

   berries 
  was 
  16.67 
  percent, 
  and 
  of 
  other 
  fruit 
  3.06 
  percent. 
  Solomon's 
  

   seal 
  (Polygonatum), 
  blueberries 
  ( 
  Vaccinium 
  ), 
  bunchberries 
  (Cornus 
  

   canadensis) 
  , 
  crowberries 
  (Empetrum) 
  , 
  and 
  juniper 
  berries 
  are 
  among 
  

   the 
  berries 
  principally 
  eaten. 
  Dr. 
  C. 
  Hart 
  Merriam, 
  Chief 
  of 
  the 
  

   Biological 
  Survey, 
  has 
  informed 
  the 
  writer 
  that 
  the 
  spruce 
  grouse 
  

   feeds 
  largely 
  on 
  the 
  bearberry 
  (Arctostapliylos 
  uva-ursi) 
  and 
  the 
  

   wax 
  currant 
  (Ribes 
  cereum). 
  

  

  When 
  cold 
  weather 
  comes 
  the 
  spruce 
  grouse 
  usually 
  abandons 
  a 
  

   berry 
  diet 
  and 
  eats 
  nothing 
  but 
  its 
  favorite 
  food 
  — 
  the 
  leaves, 
  buds, 
  and 
  

   tender 
  shoots 
  of 
  conifers. 
  This 
  kind 
  of 
  broAvse 
  formed 
  61.94 
  percent 
  

   of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  eight 
  birds 
  examined 
  in 
  the 
  laboratory. 
  It 
  is 
  

   safe 
  to 
  assume 
  that 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  the 
  year's 
  food 
  of 
  this 
  grouse 
  is 
  

   obtained 
  by 
  browsing, 
  and 
  that 
  nearly 
  half 
  consists 
  of 
  the 
  foliage 
  

   of 
  conifers. 
  AYilson 
  and 
  Bonaparte 
  state 
  that 
  in 
  winter 
  this 
  species 
  

   feeds 
  on 
  the 
  shoots 
  of 
  spruce, 
  a 
  habit 
  so 
  generally 
  known 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  

   given 
  to 
  the 
  bird 
  its 
  name. 
  According 
  to 
  Major 
  Bendire, 
  this 
  grouse 
  

   feeds, 
  also 
  on 
  the 
  needles 
  of 
  tamarack 
  {Larix 
  laricina), 
  and 
  in 
  certain 
  

   localities 
  feeds 
  upon 
  them 
  exclusively. 
  h 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  also 
  to 
  eat 
  

   the 
  needles 
  of 
  Pinus 
  divaricata 
  and 
  the 
  fir 
  balsam 
  (Abies 
  halsamea) 
  . 
  

   As 
  with 
  the 
  blue 
  grouse, 
  resinous 
  food 
  imparts 
  to 
  the 
  flesh 
  a 
  decidedly 
  

   pitchy 
  flavor. 
  

  

  W. 
  H. 
  Osgood, 
  of 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey, 
  informs 
  the 
  writer 
  that 
  

   he 
  examined 
  crops 
  of 
  the 
  Alaska 
  grouse 
  which 
  contained 
  the 
  leaves 
  

  

  « 
  Am. 
  Ornith., 
  vol. 
  4, 
  p. 
  208, 
  1831. 
  

  

  y 
  Life 
  Hist 
  N. 
  A. 
  Birds, 
  [I], 
  p. 
  52, 
  1892. 
  

  

  