Dusky Grouse 145 



Genus DENDRAGAPUS. 



Large birds without crests or any specially lengthened feathers, but 

 with a bare space on the neck, ordinarily concealed by feathers but 

 capable of inflation into a driom or tympanum ; tail long, even or 

 sUghtly rotmded, about | of the wing, of eighteen to twenty feathers 

 normally ; tarsus feathered to the toes. 



This genus contains one western species with three local races con- 

 fined to the pine forests of the Rocky Mountains. 



Dusky Grouse. Dendragapns obscurus. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 297— Colorado Records— Pike 10, ii., p. 458 

 (Coues' ed.) ; Say 23, ii., p. 14 ; Allen 72, pp. 159, 164 ; Trippe 74, 

 p. 399 ; Henshaw 75, p. 435 ; Scott 79, p. 96 ; Tresz 81, p. 189 ; Drew 

 81, p. 142 ; 85, p. 17 ; Morrison 88, p. 139 ; 89, p. 181 ; Kellogg 90, 

 p. 87 ; Bendu-e 92, p. 41 ; Lowe 94, p. 267 ; Biu-nett 96, p. 64 

 McGregor 97, p. 38 ; Cooke 97, pp. 70, 202 ; Henderson 03, p. 235 

 09, p. 228 ; Judd 05, p. 41 ; Oilman 07, p. 153 ; Warren 08, p. 20 

 RockweU 08, p. 161. 



Description. — Male — Above mottled, dusky and slaty-blue, most blue 

 on the hind-neck, the wings with a little tawny as well ; tail slaty- 

 black with a terminal band of pale slaty ; below slaty-grey, varied 

 with white on the sides and abdomen ; chin and throat white, spotted 

 with slaty ; iris orange-brown, bill black, feet blue-grey, comb over the 

 eye and neck -drum yellow. Length 20 ; wing 9-5 ; tail 7*5 ; culmen 

 •8 ; tarsus 1 -8 ; weight about three to five pounds. 



The female is a good deal smaller — length about 17'5, wing 8-5 ; and 

 has more dark-brown and buffy mottling on the back and chest. Young 

 birds are like the female, but have in addition white shaft-marks and 

 tips to many of the feathers, and the two central tail-feathers mottled 

 and barred with dusky and tawny. 



Distribution. — The Rocky Mountains region from Montana and Idaho 

 and the Black Hills of Dakota, south to the White Mountains of Arizona 

 and to New Mexico. A resident throughout its range. 



In Colorado the Dusky Grouse is a resident, found throughout the 

 year in the mountainous portion of the State, chiefly in the pine forests 

 from about 7,000 feet to timber line. It has been noted from Estes 

 Park (Kellogg) to the Wet Mountains (Lowe), and from Mesa co. 

 (Rockwell) to La Plata (Morrison). It was undoubtedly killed by Pike 

 on the slopes of Cheyenne Mountain near Colorado Springs, who alludes 

 to it as the " Pheasant." 



Habits. — The Dusky Grouse, also knoA\Ti as the Blue 

 or Grey Grouse, and more famiharly as the Fool-hen, 



