Prairie Hens and Grouse 



305. Prairie Hen | Tympanuchus americanus). L. 



18. Underparts with distinct brown and white bars of 

 about equal width. Ad rf. A neck-tuft of ten or 

 more rounded feathers. Ad. ?. Neck-tufts much 

 smaller; whole tail barred. Notes. Song, a loud 

 "booming." 



Range. — "Prairies of Mississippi Valley; south to Louisiana and 

 Texas: east to Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Ontario; 

 west through eastern portions of North Dakota, South Dakota, Ne- 

 braska, Kansas and Indian Territory; north to Manitoba; general 

 tendency to extension of range westward and contraction eastward; 

 migration north and south in Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri." (A. 

 O. U.) 



305a. Attwater Prairie Hen (7. a. attwateri). 



Similar to No. 305, but smaller and darker; neck-tufts 

 proportionately wide; tarsus not fully feathered. 



Range. — Southwestern Louisiana and eastern Texas. 



306. Heath Hen (Tympanuchus cupido). Similar to 

 No. 305, but smaller; scapulars more broadly tipped 

 with buff; neck-tuft of less than ten feathers; obtusely 

 pointed', axillars barred with dusky. 



Range. — Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. 



307. Lesser Prairie Hen (Tympanuchus pallidicinc- 



tus). Similar to No. 305, but smaller, more buffy 

 above; brown bars below narrower than whitish 

 spaces between them. Notes. Doubtless the same as 

 those of No. 305. 



Range. — Southwestern parts of Kansas and western Indian Terri- 

 tory, western (and southern?) Texas. (Bendlre.) 



308. Sharp-tailed Grouse (Pedioecetes phasianellus) . 

 L. 17. Breast feathers with internal V shaped loops; 

 no neck-tufts. Ads. Prevailing color above black; 

 narrowly barred with rusty and margined with paler. 



Range — Interior of British America, east to Rocky Mountains, 

 about James Bav (Moose Factory) and the west shore of Hudson 

 Bay, northern Manitoba, north at least to Fort Simpson, Mackenzie 

 River, northwest territory. (Bendire.) 



308a. Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse (P. p. co- 

 lumbianus). Similar to No. 308, but prevailing color 

 above buffy. 



Range. — "Northwest United States; south to northeastern Cali- 

 fornia, northern Nevada and Utah; east to Montana and Wyoming, 

 west to Oregon and Washington: north, chiefly west of Rocky 

 Mountains, through British Columbia to central Alaska (Fort Yukon) " 

 (Bendire.) 



308b. Prairie Sharp-tailed Grouse {P. p. camp- 



estris). Similar to No. 308a, but more rusty. Notes. 

 Song, a bubbling crow, a rattling of tail-feathers, and 

 stamping of feet. Calls, when disturbed, each, cack, 

 cock; a soft clear whistle and a grunt of alarm. (Seton.) 

 Call of mother to young and of young in reply a gut- 

 tural, raucous croak. (Grinnell.) 



Range — "Plains and prairies of United States, north to Manitoba; 

 east to Wisconsin and northern Illinois; west to eastern Colorado; 

 south to eastern New Mexico." (Bendire.) 



121 



