38 THE SPECIES ITS TAXONOMY, RANGE. BIOLOGY. & ECOXOMIC IMPORTANCE 



earth's surface and pondered their evolutionary relationships. More recently, preliminary 

 excursions have been made into the vast fields of animal behavior and experimental 

 physiology as they apply to wildlife species. 



Unknown to the white man until after the discovery of North America, the ruffed grouse 

 has since received considerable attention, especially because of its economic importance. The 

 resultant information has, however, been widely scattered in the literature. It is the purpose 

 of this chapter, therefore, to bring together the more important of these data as well as what 

 new material has been brought to light by the present Investigation. A logical starting point 

 is the bird's taxonomy. 



TAXONOMY 



A major step in the development of man's knowledge of the universe has been the cata- 

 loguing of other forms of life. Largely haphazard at first, tliere has gradually evolved a 

 definite system for classifying any animal or plant according to its evolutionary relationships 

 to other species. 



While anatomical features are the fundamental basis for such classification, a descri])tion 

 of the external appearance of a species is a basic preliminary, and is also important to the 

 general wildlife student. 



Description 



The ruffed grouse is a brown, fowl-like, woodland bird about the size of a bantam lirii. 

 possessing a dark, partially concealed ruff on each side of the neck and a faiishaiied tail 

 having a broad, dark subterminal band. 



Although referring primarily to the type form Boiiasa iiiiibclliis iiiiihclliis i Linnaeus I *. 

 the following detailed accounf^ applies in general to the species as a whole, the differences 

 between subspecies being largely a matter of degree. ' 



"Adult male: Top of head with many narrow bars or spots of rusty brown, black and 

 sometimes whitish; rest of upper plumage mottled and variegated rusty brown and 

 whitish or buffy. with some black marks: inner seciiiularics and wing-coverts commoidy 

 edged or tipped buffy-whitish, often spotlcil with black: primaries dark brownish-gray, 

 marked and spotted with buffy or whitish on narrow outer webs: back and rump willi 

 numerous oblong or lance-shaped pale, black-edged shaft-spots; neck ruffs usually black 

 with green and purplish reflections, in some cases reddish-brown; tail bright reddish- 

 brown to gray, barred regularly with from 6 to 11 narrow blackish bars and one broad 

 subterminal black bar: chin and throat buff, loucr and lateral feathers often tipped 

 dusky; wing linings and axillars brownish-gra\ and while; rest of lower plumage whit- 

 ish, grayish-white or buffv-white. usually tinged buffy on lower neck and breast, with 

 many bars of deep buff, brown or black, all darkest on sides and flanks, often fading 

 and obscure on breast and belly; buff and white j)redominate on under tail-coverts; bill 

 dark brown; iris hazel; feet dark horn. 



"Adult jnitale: Similar but duller, with somewhat lesser ruffs and shorter tail: iris, bill 

 and feet as in male." 



» A.O.U. Check Li.l No. 30tf>'. 

 A while this acroimt ifi qiiotrd from Furliiit.li'*'* exii-llrnt description* 



hove nUo been |>iibliithe(l by Roberls*"", Chnpmnn"*. and othcm. 

 t Sec immmnry o( siibiiprcirir iliffercnces. p. '18. 



IJ^'^^X 





