106 BULLETIN OF WISCONSIN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. VOL. 1, NO. 2: 
food ready for it upon or soon after I'ts arrival. The ruffed 
grouse and its allies, however, avoid a change of station by a 
change of food. 
The geographical distribution of the typical species and its 
three sub-species covers the entire United States and the Domin- 
ion of Canada, with the exception of the extreme south and south- 
western portions of the former and the northeastern portion of the 
latter, so that with so wide a range the character of the food must 
depend in a considerable degree upon the locality. The notes 
that follow apply strictly only to the northern tier of states and 
to southern Canada, in which localities it is known generally, 
though improperly, by the name of partridge. 
Recently the writer, as opportunity has offered, has made ex- 
amination of the stomach contents of a number of these birds, 
and although for lack of material, the investigation has not pro- 
ceeded as far as desired, the results are presented here and sup- 
plemented with notes derived from field observation and from the 
published notes of others. 
As is well known the ruffed grouse, like all gallinaceous birds, 
has its gullet or aesophagus enlarged into a preliminary stomach — 
the ingluvies or crop — where, the food material is macerated in a 
special secretion before passing to the stomach proper, or gizzard. 
The walls of this crop are capable of very great extensibility — 
some of those examined containing nearly half a pint of material — 
and they also appear to be almost insensible to feeling so that even 
when distended with the sharped edged and angular beechnut or 
the needle like buds of certain trees, no discomfort seems to re- 
sult. 
For the identification of many of the seeds mentioned in the 
lists that follow, thanks are due to Prof. F. E. L. Beal, of the U 
S. Department of Agriculture. Many seeds, however, could not 
be identified for want of specimens for comparison. 
Two ruffed grouse were collected in Washington Co., Wis., 
on Sept. 6, 1899. ^^'^ their gizzards were found seeds of the fol- 
lowing: (i) , Wild hlack cherry, PriuuLS serotina ; (2) one of 
the large cultivated Gr3imme2Lt, prohahly Andro pogon sorgimi ; {^) 
poison sumac, Rhus Vernix; (4) rough-leaved dogwood, Cornus 
aspcrifolia ; (5) hooded blue violet, Viola obliqua Hill. 
The crops of these birds were entirely empty. This was found 
to be the case with about half of the specimens handled, and the 
explanation probably lies in the fact that most birds feed only 
during the early forenoon and the late afternoon. During the 
middle of the day they are in their retreats, devoting that time 
to sleep and digestion. 
