﻿44 
  GKOUSE 
  AND 
  WILD 
  TURKEYS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  include 
  Arctostaphylos 
  pungens, 
  A. 
  nevadensis, 
  and 
  A. 
  uva-ursi. 
  Its 
  

   list 
  of 
  fruits 
  also 
  includes 
  the 
  following 
  : 
  

  

  Mountain 
  twin 
  berry. 
  Service 
  berry 
  (Amelanchier 
  alni- 
  

  

  Red 
  elder 
  (Sambucus 
  pubens). 
  folia). 
  

  

  Honeysuckle 
  (Lonicera 
  involu- 
  Salal 
  (GaultJieria 
  shallon). 
  

  

  crata; 
  Lonicera 
  conjugialis). 
  Huckleberry 
  (Vaccinium 
  occiden- 
  

  

  Cherry 
  (Primus 
  sp.). 
  tale). 
  

  

  Mountain 
  ash 
  (Sorbus 
  sambuci- 
  Currant 
  (Ribes 
  cereum, 
  Ribes 
  san- 
  

  

  folia). 
  guineum). 
  

  

  Salmon 
  berry 
  (Rubus 
  parviflorus) 
  . 
  Gooseberry 
  (Ribes 
  menziesii). 
  

  

  The 
  food 
  habits 
  of 
  all 
  young 
  birds 
  differ 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  

   their 
  parents. 
  Young 
  blue 
  grouse 
  at 
  first 
  live 
  chiefly 
  on 
  grass- 
  

   hoppers 
  and 
  other 
  insects 
  and 
  on 
  tender 
  plant 
  tops. 
  Later 
  in 
  the 
  sea- 
  

   son 
  they 
  subsist 
  on 
  berries, 
  such 
  as 
  gooseberries 
  and 
  salal-berries, 
  and 
  

   some 
  seeds, 
  such 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  sunflower. 
  Florence 
  Merriam 
  

   Bailey, 
  in 
  writing 
  recently 
  of 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  dusky 
  grouse 
  in 
  New 
  

   Mexico, 
  says 
  : 
  a 
  

  

  Near 
  our 
  camp 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  Pecos 
  Baldy, 
  Mr. 
  Bailey 
  discovered 
  a 
  winter 
  

   roosting 
  tree 
  of 
  the 
  grouse. 
  The 
  tree 
  was 
  on 
  a 
  sheltered 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  wooded 
  

   slope 
  and 
  was 
  so 
  densely 
  branched 
  that 
  after 
  a 
  prolonged 
  rain 
  the 
  ground 
  

   beneath 
  was 
  perfectly 
  dry. 
  The 
  earth 
  was 
  strewn 
  with 
  winter 
  droppings, 
  com- 
  

   posed 
  entirely 
  of 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  conifers. 
  Conifer 
  needles 
  had 
  also 
  been 
  eaten 
  

   by 
  three 
  of 
  the 
  grouse 
  that 
  were 
  taken 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  in 
  July 
  and 
  August, 
  but 
  at 
  

   this 
  season 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  living 
  principally 
  on 
  such 
  fresh 
  food 
  as 
  strawberries, 
  

   bearberries 
  (Arctostaphylos 
  uva-ursi), 
  sheperdia 
  berries, 
  flowers 
  of 
  the 
  lupine 
  

   and 
  paint 
  brush, 
  seeds, 
  green 
  leaves, 
  grasshoppers, 
  caterpillars, 
  ants, 
  and 
  other 
  

   insects. 
  One 
  crop 
  contained 
  twenty-seven 
  strawberries, 
  twenty-eight 
  bear- 
  

   berries, 
  and 
  twelve 
  sheperdia 
  berries, 
  besides 
  flowers, 
  leaves, 
  and 
  insects, 
  while 
  

   the 
  accompanying 
  gizzard 
  was 
  filled 
  with 
  seeds, 
  green 
  leaves, 
  and 
  insects. 
  

  

  THE 
  WILLOW 
  PTARMIGAN. 
  

  

  (Lagop 
  us. 
  lagopus. 
  ) 
  

  

  Ptarmigans 
  are 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  arctic 
  and 
  arctic-alpine 
  

   regions. 
  During 
  summer 
  they 
  are 
  mainly 
  gray 
  and 
  brown, 
  resem- 
  

   bling 
  the 
  mottled 
  colors 
  of 
  the 
  bare 
  earth, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  

   winter 
  they 
  change 
  this 
  plumage 
  for 
  one 
  of 
  pure 
  white. 
  Thus 
  they 
  

   harmonize 
  with 
  their 
  surroundings 
  at 
  all 
  seasons 
  and 
  are 
  better 
  

   able 
  to 
  escape 
  their 
  numerous 
  enemies. 
  There 
  are 
  four 
  species 
  of 
  

   these 
  birds 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  Alaska. 
  Of 
  these 
  the 
  willow 
  

   ptarmigan, 
  white 
  ptarmigan, 
  or 
  willow 
  grouse, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  variously 
  

   known, 
  is 
  the 
  largest, 
  most 
  abundant, 
  and 
  consequently 
  the 
  most 
  

   important. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  arctic 
  regions 
  of 
  both 
  hemispheres, 
  

   and 
  is 
  widely 
  spread 
  and 
  abundant 
  throughout 
  the 
  tundra 
  country 
  

   of 
  Alaska, 
  except 
  on 
  the 
  Aleutian 
  Islands. 
  Throughout 
  its 
  range, 
  

   especially 
  in 
  winter, 
  it 
  is 
  an 
  important 
  food 
  bird. 
  In 
  the 
  north 
  

  

  o 
  Auk, 
  vol. 
  21, 
  p. 
  351, 
  1904. 
  

  

  