TAXONOMY 43 



this sex for the narrower dark stripes to be pronounced, often bounded by very light bands 

 which help to set them ofF, while in females, these markings are not so regular or prominent. 



Another indication may be found by spreading the tail until it occupies a full 180 degrees. 

 If this separates the feathers so that they cease to overlap, the bird is probably a female. 

 Otherwise it may be either sex. 



Next, one should examine the feathers of the neck region. The male tends to have what is 

 known as a "necklace" — a clearly defined series of light and dark bands of color ringing the 

 front half of the neck, mostly black, white, and buff. These feathers are at the same level as 

 the ruff and are raised with it so that, on such occasions, their white tips are conspicuous 

 under the chin between the dark collar on either side. In the female, the darks are broken 

 up into spots with very little white showing on a pale, chestnut-colored background. 



With respect to the ruff itself, in the male, the ends of the feathers usually extend beyond 

 the hackles, as iridescent lines, lying well past the bend of the folded wing. The hen's 

 shorter ruff is not often visible and rarely reaches as far as the wings. Also, the number of 

 ruff feathers is greater in the male. 



The hackles, too, in the cock, are longer and have a greater number of partial dark bars. 



Another important consideration with resi)eft to the general appearance of the bird is the 

 nature of the color pattern. Among males, the markings are much more bold and clearly 

 defined, while in their mates, except for those of the flank feathers, as noted later, they tend 

 to be diffused and blended with the background color. 



Beyond these differences, a number of other features have been recognized which, when 

 averaged, will aid materially in judging the sex of grouse. 



General Appearance 



First may be mentioned certain aspects of the bodily proportions of the birds as illustrated 

 in the accompaiiviiig illustrations. Males tend to look more rugged, heavier and more 

 solidly built than females. Actually, they do average two to six ounces heavier, depending on 

 the season (New York State records)*. But beyond this, they grow longer feathers with more 

 sharply defined markings. These longer feathers produce heavier looking masses, causing 

 the cock to appear relatively larger than he really is. 



The head of the male is larger, having more forehead, or depth from crown to chin, while 

 that of the female is smaller and daintier. Although the eyes are usually the same size, they 

 appear larger in the female because the head is smaller in comparison. 



The male's neck appears more massive, the neck line being built out by thicker, longer 

 feathers so that it joins the throat directly under the eye and tapers out toward the breast. 

 In the hen, it appears much thinner, the neck line joining the throat well behind the eye, as 

 well as meeting the body higher up and at more of an angle, thus giving a fuller, more 

 rounded shape to her breast. 



A similar relationship applies to the rump, where long body feathers, together with long 

 tail feathers, give the cock a tapered ap])carance. while the shorter feathers of the female 

 tend to give her more of a rounded, "butterball"' shape. 



Because of structural differences of the abdomen, particularly during the mating season, the 

 legs of the cock appear longer tlian those of the hen. 



* Average fall weight for New York grouse is 1 lb. 7 oz. for males and 1 Ih. 5 oz. for females. See diseussion of Weight, p. 91. 



