118 



THE GAME BREEDER 



the tops of the sumac bushes to feed on 

 their seeds, often in such numbers that 

 I have seen the bushes bent by their 

 weight." 



It is important to note, Dr. Judd says, 

 that often when deep snow causes scar- 

 city of other supplies the sumac affords 

 both the prairie hen and the bob white 

 abundant food. As with the insect food, 

 further investigation undoubtedly will 

 extend the fruit list. 



The prairie hen eats a much smaller 

 proportion of seeds, with the exception 

 of grain, than the bobwhite, and in this 

 respect is less useful than the latter bird. 

 It is, however, a better weeder than any 

 other grouse, and its services in this 

 particular are worthy of consideration. 

 As before stated, seeds make 14.87 per 

 cent of the annual diet. Of these grass 

 seeds form 1.03 per cent; seeds of va- 

 rious polygonums, 8.49 per cent, and 

 miscellaneous weed seeds 5.35 per cent. 

 When the nature of the prairie hen's 

 habitat is recalled it seems strange that 

 the percentage of grass seeds is so small. 

 The bobwhite, in contrast, takes 9.46 per 

 cent of grass seed. Like the bobwhite 

 and other granivorous birds, the prairie 

 hen often eats the seeds of the various 

 species of panicums, the paspalums, and 

 pigeon grass. 



The seeds of different polygonums, 

 or smartweeds, play an important part 

 in the economy of the prairie hen. They 

 form 8.49 per cent of the food. These 

 plants grow profusely where illy drained 

 regions of the plains are under water^ for 

 a few months in the year. Black bind- 

 weed and smartweed with the closely 

 related dock are included in the bill of 

 fare. 



Other foods, listed by Dr. Judd, are 

 ragweed, wild sunflower, coreopsis, cas- 

 sia and the hog peanut, prairie mimosa, 

 seeds of water willow, the yellow false 

 garlic and others of little importance. 



As a grain eater the prairie hen heads 

 the native gallinaceous birds. Every- 

 body who has gone "chicken" shooting 

 knows how closely the bird is associated 

 with stubble fields. The stomachs and 

 crops examined in the investigation con- 

 tained 31.06 per cent of grain. The 



stomach of a grouse, shot in June in 

 Nebraska, contained 100 kernels of 

 corn and 500 grains of wheat. J. A. 

 Loring, formerly of the Biological Sur- 

 vey, during December in Nebraska,- 

 found prairie hens feeding in wheat 

 stubble, about straw stacks, and along 

 the edges of corn fields. Dr. Hatch, in 

 Birds of Minnesota, writing of their 

 granivorous habits says: "The grain 

 fields afforded both food and protection 

 for them, until the farmers complained 

 of them bitterly, but not half so bitterly 

 as they did afterwards of the bird de- 

 stroyers who ran over their broad acres 

 of wheat, oats and corn in the order of 

 their ripening." 



Buckwheat, barley, oats and millet 

 are relished, but corn appears to be the 

 favorite cereal, amounting to 19,45 per 

 cent of the annual food. Other grain, 

 principally wheat, was in the ratio of 

 11.61 per cent. Amos W. Butler re- 

 ports that in Indiana, during September, 

 fields of ripening buckwheat are favor- 

 ite feeding grounds. There is reason 

 to believe that sprouting grain is some- 

 times injured. Audubon speaks of such 

 injury in Kentucky, where the bird was 

 extremely abundant. 



The prairie grouse likes mast, though 

 naturally it obtains much less than the 

 ruffled grouse. It swallows acorns 



whole. 



— ■ — ■♦ 



"And For Me The Game Breeder." 



The Game Breeder, 



Enclosed you will please find my check 

 for $1.00 for which you may mail me 

 your very valuable and interesting maga- 

 zine. I am sure that I have been missing 

 a rare treat by not having seen it before 

 but this is the first copy I have had the 

 pleasure of reading and me for The 

 Game Breeder from now on. 



Compliments of the season, 



(Signed) Joe V. Prochaska. 



Arizona. 



> 



Little Sophie — Father, what is exec- 

 utive ability? 



Prof. Broadhead — The faculty of 

 earning your bread by the work of other 

 people. — Credit Lost. 



