THE CANADA GROUSE. 



(Dendragapus canadensis) 



The Canada Grouse, also called the 

 Spruce Partridge, frequents the ever- 

 green forests and swamps and the 

 shrubby areas of British America east of 

 the Rocky Mountains, and in Alaska it is 

 a resident of the Pacific coast. In its 

 southern flights it seldom passes beyond 

 the latitude of the northern portion of 

 New England and Minnesota. 



This bird is an interesting member of 

 the bird family Tetraonidae, which also 

 includes the birds variously called bob- 

 white, quail and partridge, the ptarmi- 

 gans and the prairie hen. The family in- 

 cludes about two hundred species, about 

 one-half of which belong to the Old 

 World. There are twenty-five distinct 

 species of the subfamily of grouse. These 

 a^e practically confined to the higher lati- 

 tudes of the northern hemisphere and 

 are strictly speaking non-migratory. In 

 fact, nearly all the birds of this family are 

 resident throughout the year in the locali- 

 ties w T here they are found. 



They are terrestrial in their habits, and 

 when frightened they usually depend on 

 hiding in places where their dull colors 

 will least attract attention, but they will, 

 occasionally, fly into trees when flushed. 



The Canada Grouse, like all the related 

 species, is a bird of rapid flight. The 

 feathers of their small wings are stiff, 

 causing a whirring sound during flight. 

 The male during the mating season gives 

 a great deal of attention to his appear- 

 ance. He is quite black in general color 

 and more or less barred with white un- 

 derneath and above with gray or reddish 

 brown. The female is not quite as large 

 as the male, and is not as dark in color. 

 Above the eye of the male there is a small 

 area of bare skin, which is a bright ver- 

 milion color. 



These gentle and retiring birds mate 

 in th-j early spring and remain together 

 through the breeding season. Captain 



Bendire states that he has good reason 

 for believing that the mating may last for 

 more than one season, as he has frequent- 

 ly found a pair, in the depth of winter, 

 when no other individuals of the same 

 species were near. The nest, consisting 

 of loosely arranged blades of grass and a 

 few stalks and twigs, is built by the hen 

 on a slight elevation of ground, usually 

 under the low branches of a spruce tree. 



The number of eggs varies greatly. 

 Mr. Ridgway says that they vary in num- 

 ber from nine to sixteen. The eggs also 

 vary greatly in color from a pale, creamy 

 buff through various shades to brownish 

 buff, and are irregularly spotted with a 

 deeper brown, though occasionally they 

 are spotless. 



During the spring and summer months 

 the food of the Canada Grouse consists 

 very largely of the berries of plants be- 

 longing to the Heath family, such as the 

 blueberry, the huckleberry and the bear- 

 berry, as well as the tender buds of the 

 spruce. In the winter it feeds almost en- 

 tirely on these buds, and the needle-like 

 leaves of the spruce, the fir or the tam- 

 arack trees. At times they seem to S'how 

 a preference for certain trees, and will 

 nearly strip the foliage from them. 



As a food for man their flesh is far 

 from satisfactory. It is dark-colored and 

 strongly flavored with the odor of their 

 natural food. However, certain Indian 

 tribes are said to relish them and hunt 

 them extensively. 



Mr. Bishop, in "Forest and Stream," 

 relates the following very interesting ac- 

 count of the strutting of the male Canada 

 Grouse while in captivity. He says, "I 

 will describe as nearly as I can his con- 

 duct and attitude while strutting: The 

 tail stand's almost erect, the wings are 

 slightly raised from the body and a little 

 drooped, the head is still well up, and the 

 feathers of breast and throat are raised 



158 



