BLACK GROUSE. 163 



tipped with white ; those of the sides banded with red, of the 

 lower part of the tail black, w4th a large white terminal space. 

 The lower surface of the wing and the axillar feathers are 

 white. 



The upper parts generally are very minutely undulated with 

 brownish-black and brownish-red, with very narrow terminal 

 bands of white. The wing-feathers and secondary quill-coverts 

 are similar, as are the secondary quills, which are all tipped 

 with greyish-w^hite. The primary quills, their coverts, and 

 alular feathers, greyish-brown ; the outer edges of the primaries 

 mottled with white. A white spot appears at the axilla, but 

 there is not a white band on the wing, as in the Black Grouse. 

 The tail is black, the two middle feathers very obscurely mot- 

 tled with reddish ; the eight middle narrowly tipped with 

 white. The tarsal feathers are greyish-white, those on the 

 outer side mottled with red. 



Length to end of tail 20i inches ; extent of wings 31 ; bill 

 along the back i|, along the edge of lower mandible li^g 5 

 wing from flexure 9^ ; tail to end of middle feather 5^, to end 

 of lateral feather 6j% ; supraocular membrane j% in length, 

 and j^j^ in height; middle toe Ij, its claw \l. 



On inspecting the body, the cause of emaciation was obvious. 

 The trachea and bronchi were much inflamed, the left lung 

 perfectly sound, but the right gorged with blood. The rectum 

 was dilated in its lower part to the diameter of 1^ inch, and 

 filled with a substance resembling putty, and composed chiefly 

 of uric acid, which completely obstructed the passage of the 

 foeces. The kidneys were natural, but the right ureter was 

 much enlarged, and filled with a substance similar to that in 

 the rectum, but softer. The testes oblong, one 3i twelfths, the 

 other j% in length ; but I failed in tracing their ducts, and 

 have some reason to believe that they did not exist. 



(Esophagus 8 inches long ; stomach 2 ; intestine only 42, of 

 which the rectum 6 ; coeca 26 long, their greatest diameter 

 half an inch. 



In form and size this bird resembled a female or a young 

 male Black Grouse, to which it was also similar in its internal 

 organization, but with the intestinal canal much shorter and of 



m2 



