8 The Ruffed Grouse 



most richly colored of all the predominantly brown races of the 

 species . . . darker than sabini and more reddish than brunnesceiis; 

 l^rown of upper parts deep chestnut to dark auburn with no grayish 

 mixture . . ." No gray phase is known. Its range is western Wash- 

 ington from Puget Sound to Oregon, south of the range of brun- 

 ncscens and north and west of sabini. 



The Columbian ruffed grouse, B. u. affinis, is described in both 

 the gray and brown phases, the gray being the more prevalent. The 

 gray birds are in ". . . general appearance intermediate between 

 the gray phase of umbellus and that of sabini . . " Brown-phase 

 birds are "closest to the brown phase of togata, but have the black 

 markings less extensive." The range extends from east-central Ore- 

 gon and southwestern Idaho northward east of the Cascades through 

 most of eastern Washington and the interior of British Columbia, 

 to Hazleton. 



The Idaho ruffed grouse, B. u. phaios, occurs in both color phases. 

 In both it is most similar to B. u. mnbelltis. The gray birds are 

 grayer, much darker, less brownish than the like phase of umbellus, 

 while brown-phase birds of pJmios are ". . . much darker, less 

 rufescent, more brownish (more like corresponding phase of brun- 

 nescens, but with more grayish or dusky ) . . ." than their umbellus 

 counterpart. It is found on the west slopes of the Rocky Mountains 

 in Idaho, and in portions of northeastern Oregon, southeastern 

 Washington, and northeastern Washington. 



The hoary ruffed grouse, B. u. incanus, in its brown phase, is 

 "... a very ashy bird, similar not to brown but to gray phase of 

 B. u. umbellus, but paler and, except for tail, less brownish, more 

 like that of B. u. umbelloides but paler and less brownish on inter- 

 scapulars, back, and upper surface of wings . . ." The gray phase 

 is ". . . similar to brown phase but with tail feathers smoke gray 

 with no buffy tone; ventral barrings duskier— light brownish olive 

 darkening to sepia on the sides and flanks." It is found ". . . from 

 west-central and central-northern Utah, southeastern Idaho and 

 central- western Wyoming, northeastward across Wyoming and the 

 Dakotas to northeastern North Dakota . . ." 



It is well to note that Aldrich and Friedmann indicate in many in- 

 stances that the subspecific characters gi-ade from one to another 

 along the boundaries of their ranges. Thus the delineation of the 

 ranges of subspecies is somewhat arbitrary and the number recog- 



