﻿42 
  GROUSE 
  AND 
  WILD 
  TURKEYS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  The 
  dusky 
  grouse 
  cock 
  is 
  quite 
  uniformly 
  dark 
  in 
  color, 
  as 
  the 
  

   name 
  implies. 
  In 
  the 
  mating 
  season 
  the 
  bird 
  presents 
  a 
  striking 
  

   appearance. 
  The 
  brilliant 
  comblike 
  wattles 
  above 
  its 
  eyes 
  are 
  con- 
  

   spicuous, 
  the 
  large, 
  yellow 
  wind 
  sacs 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  its 
  neck 
  are 
  fully 
  

   inflated, 
  and 
  it 
  struts 
  about 
  like 
  a 
  turkey 
  cock, 
  with 
  drooping 
  wings 
  

   and 
  spreading 
  tail, 
  emitting 
  a 
  sound 
  that 
  closely 
  resembles 
  the 
  hoot- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  horned 
  owl. 
  The 
  nesting 
  takes 
  place 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  

   half 
  of 
  May, 
  when 
  the 
  hen 
  bird 
  scratches 
  a 
  slight 
  hollow 
  in 
  the 
  earth 
  

   and 
  lays 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  12 
  cream-colored, 
  brown-spotted 
  eggs. 
  Usually 
  

   but 
  one 
  brood 
  is 
  reared 
  in 
  a 
  season. 
  Prof. 
  W. 
  W. 
  Cooke, 
  in 
  writing 
  of 
  

   the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  in 
  Colorado, 
  says 
  that 
  it 
  breeds 
  from 
  7,000 
  

   feet 
  altitude 
  to 
  timber 
  line, 
  4,000 
  feet 
  higher. 
  At 
  the 
  former 
  altitude 
  

   it 
  lays 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  May. 
  In 
  August 
  the 
  birds 
  gather 
  in 
  

   flocks 
  and 
  visit 
  gr 
  a 
  infields, 
  or 
  frequent 
  the 
  more 
  open 
  gulches 
  and 
  

   foothills 
  for 
  berries. 
  In 
  September 
  they 
  wander 
  above 
  timber 
  line 
  

   to 
  feed 
  on 
  grasshoppers, 
  reaching 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  12,500 
  feet. 
  In 
  

   severe 
  winter 
  weather 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  come 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  thick 
  

   woods, 
  but 
  many 
  remain 
  the 
  whole 
  year 
  close 
  to 
  timber 
  line. 
  

  

  FOOD 
  HABITS. 
  

  

  The 
  food 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  dusky 
  grouse 
  have 
  been 
  studied 
  by 
  examina- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  45 
  crops 
  and 
  stomachs, 
  representing 
  every 
  

   month 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  except 
  May, 
  June, 
  and 
  Xovember. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  

   birds 
  were 
  shot 
  in 
  British 
  Columbia, 
  Colorado, 
  and 
  Idaho, 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  

   came 
  from 
  Montana, 
  Utah, 
  Wyoming, 
  and 
  California. 
  The 
  food 
  

   consisted 
  of 
  6.73 
  percent 
  animal 
  matter 
  — 
  insects, 
  with 
  an 
  occasional 
  

   spider 
  — 
  and 
  93.27 
  percent 
  of 
  vegetable 
  matter 
  — 
  seeds, 
  fruit, 
  and 
  

   leaves. 
  Grasshoppers 
  constitute 
  tli3 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  food, 
  amount- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  5.73 
  percent. 
  Beetles, 
  ants, 
  ind 
  caterpillars 
  form 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  

   the 
  insect 
  food. 
  One 
  stomach 
  contained 
  the 
  common 
  land 
  snail 
  

   (Poly 
  gym 
  sp.). 
  Major 
  Bendire, 
  Vernon 
  Bailey, 
  and 
  Walter 
  K. 
  

   Fisher 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  birds 
  feed 
  largely 
  on 
  grasshoppers. 
  

   Mr. 
  Fisher 
  shot 
  a 
  young 
  bird 
  at 
  Forest 
  Grove, 
  Oreg., 
  July 
  6, 
  1897, 
  

   which 
  had 
  eaten 
  20 
  grasshoppers 
  and 
  several 
  smooth, 
  green 
  larvae. 
  

  

  Vegetable 
  Food. 
  

  

  The 
  dusky 
  grouse 
  and 
  its 
  near 
  relative, 
  the 
  spruce 
  grouse, 
  are 
  

   among 
  our 
  chief 
  foliage-eating 
  birds. 
  Browse 
  is 
  eaten 
  by 
  the 
  blue 
  

   grouse 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  68.19 
  percent 
  of 
  its 
  annual 
  food, 
  and 
  is 
  dis- 
  

   tributed 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  Buds 
  and 
  twigs, 
  5.28 
  percent 
  ; 
  coniferous 
  foliage, 
  

   54.02 
  percent 
  ; 
  other 
  leaves, 
  8.89 
  percent. 
  The 
  species 
  spends 
  most 
  of 
  

  

  a 
  Birds 
  of 
  Colorado, 
  p. 
  70, 
  1897. 
  

  

  