362 
The Sage Grouse 
This was near the northern boundary of California, and at almosl| 
the westernmost limit of the bird's range. 
Throughout all this vast region this feathered monarch of the plains! ; 
was at one time abundant. Formerly it was not extensively shot foi' 
the reason that antelope, deer, and other larger game were usually tc; 
be met with. With the passing of the big game and the introduction oi; 
breech-loading guns a sad change has come over the fortunes of the Sagej 
Hen. In some remote corners of the West- 
Learning by Iniinff^rc n/aripfrafp^ ftipcp ncjtii ^ 
Experience 
where hunters rarely penetrate, these natu^ 
rally trusting birds are so tame at times that oml 
may knock them over with a stick. As a general thing, however, they , 
have learned a proper dread of their human enemies. 
This Grouse feeds very largely on the leaves of the sagebrush and| 
its flesh is at times strongly permeated with the odor of this plant. Hencep 
experienced westerners seldom shoot the old birds, for their flesh is 
tough and strong, and unless prepared by a master cook are usualF 
regarded as totally unfit for food. Irvin Cobb, after such an experiencej , 
named the bird ^‘The Battle Hen of the Republic.” Young birds of the| 
year that have fed largely on grasshoppers and other insects are regarded! 
as being a choice food, and are esteemed as highly as the Ruffed Grousd 
or Bob-White. In the deserts^ around Burns, Oregon, I found the; 
rangers quite able to distinguish between the old and young when the| 
birds rose from the ground. That the young are quite as good as anyJ 
game-bird in the land was proved to me by the delicious repast set 
before me by some of the good people of that arid country. b 
The Sage Grouse are entirely terrestrial. Living in regions wherej 
trees are rare they have never acquired the habit of alighting on a limb.|i, 
Experienced gunners speak with admiration of the birds’ ability to hideji 
on the ground where there is extremely little cover, the only possible 
protection being the low growth of scattered sagebrush. 
Observers have long noted that the feathers on the breast of the 
male Sage Grouse are often found in a worn and frayed condition, which 
would seem to indicate that this portion of the plumage for some reason| 
receives much rougher treatment than elsewhere! 
^Explain^cT^^ body. An explanation of this, and also' 
some interesting notes on the birds’ behaviorl 
during the breeding season, was published some years ago in The Auk\ 
by Mr. Frank Bond, who, while living in the West, had many op-| 
portunities to observe the activities of this interesting bird. | 
‘‘The peculiar feathers of the breast of the Sage Cock,” he writes,; 
“are more or less faithfully described by every ornithologist who has; 
published a sketch of the bird; but as yet I have seen no explanation of; 
the cause of the wearing away of the barbs and even shafts of the I 
feathers of the lower neck. These feathers are worn away during that 
period of sexual excitement which causes many birds to develop odd 
and eccentric habits until the nuptial season is passed. The Sage Cock 
