14 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 



Regarding its former occurrence in considerable numbers, we 

 find in For^t find Strain for October 9, 1879, p. 705, the fol- 

 lowing- confirmation of Mr. Kennicott's record : 



"HABITAT OF SHARP-TAILED GROUSE. J/^/vV////. 6-V/., Septem- 

 !><>' 29. Your correspondent in the issue of September 25, writ- 

 ing of the sharp-tailed grouse, thinks that it has never been 

 found south of latitude 43. 



"In 1840- '45 this specie swas abundant in southern Wisconsin 

 and northern Illinois as far south as Chicago (latitude 42), 

 always frequenting the timber, which gave it the local name of 

 burr-oak grouse. We used to consider its flesh of finer flavor 

 than that of its congener, the prairie hen.' 1 



SUBFAMILY PERDICIN-ffi. THE PARTRIDGES. 



CHAR. Tarsi and toes entirely naked, nasal fossae unfeathered, protected by a naked 

 scale. Sides of toes without pectinations at any season. Sides of neck without an inflatable 

 air-sac, and no bare space over -eyes. 



The Partridges differ from the Grouse in the bare legs, and 

 naked nasal fossae. They are much smaller in size and more 

 abundant in species. They are widely distributed over the sur- 

 face of the globe, a large number belonging to America, where 

 the subfamilies have no Old World representatives whatever. 

 The head seldom, if ever, shows the naked space around and 

 above the eye, so common in the Tetraoninw; and the sides of 

 the toes do not exhibit the peculiar pectination formed by a 

 succession of small scales or points. 



GROUP Odontophorese. 



CHAR. Bill stout, the lower mandible more or less bidentate on each side near the end. 



The Orfyyuue of Bonaparte, or OdontopJwri/nm of other au- 

 thors, are characterized as a group by the bidentation on either 

 side of the edge of lower mandible, usually concealed in the 

 closed mouth, and sometimes scarcely appreciable. The bill is 

 short, and rather high at base ; stouter and shorter than what 

 is usually seen in Old World Partridges. The culmen is curved 

 from the base; the tip of the bill broad, and overlapping the 

 end of the lower mandible. The nasal groove is short. The 

 tail is usually rather broad and long. 



