SPOTTED GROUS. 667 



Concerning this fine species, almost representing the 

 Black Grous (T. tetrix) of Europe, we know as yet noth^ 

 ing more than that it was shot by Major Long's exploring 

 party, on the 10th of July, 1820, in one of the romantic 

 and wild bushy ravines of the Rocky Mountains, near to 

 where the lofty chain divides the waters of the Atlantic 

 and Pacific oceans. As it rose to fly, like other species 

 it uttered a cackling note. Mr. Sabine's specimen of 

 the male, mentioned by Bonaparte, was probably obtain- 

 ed in the interior of arctic America. 



The female Dusky Grous is IS inches in length. (The male a 

 little larger, and wholly black, or very dusky, with the tail-feathers 

 of the same unvaried dark tint.) The general color of the female 

 blackish brown, much lighter on the neck and beneath, having all 

 the feathers barred and tipped with pale ochreous, inclining to brown ; 

 these lighter portions of most of the feathers are thickly mottled 

 with black. Sides of the head and throat whitish, with dusky spots. 

 The flanks varied with rufous. Abdominal region plain cinereous ; 

 3d and 5th primaries nearly equal ; primaries, secondaries, and outer 

 wing-coverts, plain dusky ; the secondaries have ochreous zig-zag 

 marks on their outer webs, and are slightly tipped with dull whitish ; 

 the primaries also somewhat mottled with dingy white externally, 

 but are wholly without the regular white spots, seen in other Grous ; 

 under wing-coverts, and long axillary feathers, pure white. Tail 7^ 

 inches, the middle feathers only with rufous mottled bars, the whole 

 terminated with a broad terminal band of cinereous, speckled minute- 

 ly with blackish. 



SPOTTED GROUS. 



{Tetrao canadensis, Lin. Bonap. Am. Orn. iii. pi. 20. [male.] pi. 21. 

 fig. 2. [female.] Phil. Museum.) 



Sp. Charact. — Tail moderate, rounded, of IG broad black feathers; 

 sides of the neck, breast, flanks, and tail-coverts spotted with 

 white. — Male black, waved with grey ; the throat and breast 

 deep black. — Female m\xc\\ lighter mottled ; throat and breast 

 banded with black and rufous. 



