420 BONASA UMBELLUS, RUFFED GROUSE 



b ? palUdicinctus. 

 Cupidonla ciipido var. pallidicinctus, RiDGW. — B. B. & R., N. A. B. iii, 1874, 446 (Texas). 



Hall. — Fertile prairie country of the United States, nearly to eastern foot-hills of the 

 Rocky Mountains in some latitudes — especially Illinois, Iowa, Missoui'i, eastern half of 

 Minnesota, Southeastern Dakota, Middle and Eastern Kansas and Nebraska, Arkansas 

 and Eastern Texas. Var. pallklicinctus from Western Texas. Still lingers iu certain 

 localities in the Middle States aud New England. 



Lieutenant Warren^s Expedition.— 'i^^Q-'^l, I3ig Sioux River; 5423, Mouth of Niobrara. 



It is well known that formerly the Pinnated Grouse inhabited various 

 Eastern regions where it has been almost entirely extirpated. The 

 principal localities where it still lingers are cited above. At present its 

 centre of abundance is the Upper Mississippi Valley, for a considerable 

 distance on either side of the river. Our notice of the distribution of 

 the Sharp-tailed Grouse involved some particulars respecting the west- 

 ern limits of the present species. I have no reason to believe that it 

 occurs at all in Northwestern Minnesota or Northern Dakota, where the 

 other species is so abundant. Its progress upon the Missouri River has 

 been traced by Dr. Hayden further than by myself — to the Niobrara ; 

 and this writer adds that it may proceed to the White River. Lower 

 down, as at Council Bluff's, he sfjeaks of its occurrence "in myriads." 

 Mr. Allen notes its westward spread from Middle Kansas ; but I have 

 found no record of its reaching, as yet, either Colorado or Wyoming. 

 Southward it reaches Texas and Louisiana. I have met with no indica- 

 tion of its occurrence north of the United States boundary*. 



It is unnecessary to renew an account of the habits of this abundant 

 and well-known game bird. The eggs are usually distinguished from 

 those of the Sharp-tailed Grouse by being shorter and rounder, as well 

 as rather smaller, though some of the more elongate samples cannot be 

 recognized with certainty. Two specimens will show the greater range 

 of variation in shape — 1.82 by 1.20 ; 1.58 by 1.25. The color is a pecu- 

 liar, very pale, greenish-gray, usually unmarked, though often with uni- 

 form, fine, brown dotting. The variation is much as in PecUoeeetes, but 

 the tendency to spotting is not so strong. Eggs of both these birds 

 sometimes show a peculiar glaucous cast, something like the "bloom" 

 on a grape. 



BONASA UMBELLUS, (Linn.) Steph. 



Ruffecl Grouse. 



a. umbeUus proper (Brown Ruifed Grouse, called "Partridge" in the 

 Northern States, and "Pheasant'' iu the Southern). 



Teirao umhelhis, LiNiX., Syst. Nat. i, 17G0, 275 (based on Edw., p. 79, pi. 248, and Bniss., 

 p. 214).— Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 1788, 782.— Lath., Ind. Oru. ii. 1790, 638.— WiLS., 

 Am. Orn. vi, 1812, 40, pi. 49.— Bp., Obs. Wils. 1825, 182; Syn. 1828, 136; Am. 

 Pbilos. Trans, iii, 1830, 389.— Nutt., Man. i, 1832, 657.— Sabink, App. Frankl. 

 Journ. 679.— Doughty, Cab. N. H, i, 1830, 13, pi. 2.— Sw. & Rich., F. B. A. 

 ii, 1831, 342?— AiJD., Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 211; v, 1839, 560; pi. 41; Syn. 1839, 

 202 ; B. Am. v, 1842, 7-j, pi. 293.— Futn., Pr. Ess. Inst, i, 1856, 215.— Trippe, Pr. 

 Ess. Inst, vi, 1871, 118 (Minnesota)"; and of earlier authors generally. 



Bonasa nnibelliis, Steph., Shaw's Gen. Zool. xi, 1824, 300.— Bp., Comp. &, Geog. List, 

 183S, 43 ; Comptes Rendus, xlv, 1857, 428.— Bd., B. N. A. 1858, 630.— Elliot, 

 Mouog. Tefraonidw.—McIhyvR., Pr. Ess. Inst, v, 1866, 91 (Canada West).— 

 Fowler, Am. Nat. iii, 1869, 365 (biography).— Allen, Mem. Best. Soc. i, 1868, 501 

 (Iowa).— Dall & Bann., Tr. Chic. Acad, i, 1869, 287 (Nulato, Alaska).— Snow, 

 . B. Kans. 1873, 9 (very rare).— Trippe, Pr. Bo.st. Soc. xv, 1872, 240 (Iowa).— 

 CoUES, Key, 1872, 235, fig. 149.— B. B. & R., N. A. B. iii, 1874, 448, pi. 61, figs. 

 3. 9 ; and of later authors generally- 



Tetrao togalus, Forst., Phil. Trans. Ixii, 1772, 393.— Linn., Syst. Nat. i, 1766, 275. 



Huffed Grouse of authors aud others. 



