602 
 
AMERICAN FORESTS 
 
October, 1928 
 
at least a few of them. One bird had very recently eaten  he bursts forth
in sound, though never in song, during the 
231 Douglas fir seeds, ninty-three bearberries, seven rose  mating season,
and is quite audible during the morning hours 
fruits and one ant, an unusually large breakfast. A young  in May and June.
In one authentic case of record, his 
bird had fed principally on grass 
 
a few nearly ripened carpels of 
marsh marigold. In the records 
of some twenty stomachs from 
birds taken under a wide range 
of conditions and locality, often 
in the presence of great numbers 
of   grasshoppers,  the   largest 
amount of insect food I have re- 
corded  for individual cases is 
three grasshoppers and one ant. 
I have found it rather unusual 
to open a bird that does not con- 
tain at least a few of the leaves 
 
A Franklin grouse, the beautiful "fool hen" 
of the mountainous districts 
 
A male Franklin grouse in full plumage, standing at the f 
Alpine fir, the needles of which form a very important part c 
of some of the coniferous trees, most often Douglas fir. 
The mating habits of the dusky grouse are distinctive, but 
similar to those of many other Gallinaceous birds. Ordi- 
narily an extremely quiet and unobtrusive mountaineer, 
 
oot of an     tude of 9300 feet, while only patches of 
f his diet   ground were free from snow, one especially 
vigorous cock was observed for a considerable 
time. He stood proudly on a prostrate tree trunk under a 
group of large Douglas firs. Neck ruffs were raised to 
show the red skin beneath. While he posed and ruffled 
in this manner, his head would jerk at intervals as he uttered