SAGE GROUSE. 23 
leading all other birds in this respect. A half })inl of the showy, 
l)lnisli blossoms of the pasque flower {I*ul.s(itHla hirsutissima) which 
brightens the western prairie are often taken at a mexil, and those of 
ihe dandelion also are eaten. Inflorescence of grasses, alder, willow, 
maple, and canoe birch are phicked along with leaf bnds. 
Like the prairie hen and the ruli'ed grouse, the sharp-tailed grouse 
is frugivorous, and fruit forms 27. (JS percent of its diet. Ilips of 
wild rose alone form 17.38 percent. Ernest Thompson Seton, who 
examined hundreds of stomachs of the sharp-tailed grouse, says that 
he can not recollect an instance in which they did not contain the 
stony seeds of the wild rose {Rosa hlanda [ ?J)." The Biological Sur- 
\'ey has found rose seeds in many of the stomachs examined, but in 
numerous instances it has recorded their absence. The fruit of both 
prairie rose and the sweetbrier {Rosa nfhiginosa) are eaten. Mr. 
Seton states that in j)laces in Manitoba where he has collected dur- 
ing the winter, gravel to pulverize the food is not to be had, and the 
stony rose seeds act in its stead. Rose hips appear difficult to digest, and, 
furthermore, are sometimes thickly set with bristles that would irri- 
tate the human stomach, but appear to cause no inconvenience to the 
grouse. The persistent bright -colored hips are readily seen above the 
-now, and they are a boon to the birds in wintry northern regions, 
where the struggle for existence is Jjitter. Other plants of the rose 
family furnish food for the sharp-tailed grouse, such as the thorn 
apple {Ct'ataf/tfs sj).), the wild strawberry, and the wild black cherry 
{Prunus serotlna). It feeds on blueberries and cranberries and on the 
snowberry {Symphoricarpus racemosus), various species of manza- 
nita, bearberry {Arctostaphylos ura-vrsi)^ buffalo berry {Leparr/yrea 
aryoitea)^ juniper berries, huckleberries, and arbutus berries. It 
takes iilso the partridge berry {MiteJiella repens)^ a favorite with the 
ruffed grouse. Like many other species, it eats with relish the fruit 
of cornel {Corn us stolonifera) and poison ivy (both Rhus rad leans 
and Rhus dicersiloha). 
THE SAGE GROUSE. 
( CrntroccrcKs iiroitJidsiiin kk. ) 
With the exception of the wild turkey, the sage grouse is our largest 
game fowl. It is a fine-looking bird, with gray back, black breast, 
and long tail, and attains a maxinnnn weight of 8 pounds. It breeds 
on the sagebrush plains of the Upper Sonoran and Transition zones, 
from the east slope of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains in 
Nevada, California, and British Columbia, east to Assiniboia, Dakota, 
Nebraska, and Colorado. At mating time the cock inflates the sacs 
« rroc. U. S. Nat. Mus. XIII, p. .^)10. 181X) (1801). 
