118 BULLETIN 162, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



It was described by Dickey and van Rossem (1923) and named in 

 honor of O. W. Howard. The characters given are : 



Nearest to Dendragapus obscurus sierrae, but differing from that form in 

 paler dorsal coloration, and in coarser and more conspicuous vermiculation and 

 barring. Underparts darker, a brownish suffusion replacing the clearer gray 

 of sierrae. The white median shafting and terminal pattern of the feathers of 

 flanks and sides reduced in area and entirely lacking on anterior part of body, 

 whereas in sierrae traces of this pattern extend forward to the shoulders. 

 Wing slightly longer; tail decidedly longer and much more graduated, with 

 terminal band averaging wider. Culmen, tarsus, and middle toe averaging 

 slightly longer and decidedly heavier. 



Throughout the range of Dendragapus obscurus in California there is a 

 gradual geographic variation which particularly affects the length and gradu- 

 ation of the tail. These characters increase steadily from north to south. 

 Birds from Mount Pinos express in ultra-typical form this lengthening of the 

 tail itself, as well as the greater ratio between the length of the lateral and 

 median rectrices, a truly striking character which the writers have termed 

 " graduation " in the above description. In this same region, the variation 

 in color and pattern from typical sierrae is also most pronounced. 



J. R. Pemberton (1928) says of the haunts of this grouse: 



These birds inhabit the crests of some of the higher mountains from the 

 southern extremities of the Sierra Nevada through the Tehachapi Range to 

 Mount Pinos in Southern Kern County, California. Mount Pinos is the southern- 

 most recorded station. This high peak reaches an altitude of 8,826 feet and is 

 beautifully wooded with several species of pines and the silver fir. The grouse 

 live only on the higher portions of the mountain and I believe have not been 

 observed below 7,800 feet, which is the elevation of the old sawmill. In a 

 sense their range coincides with the areas where the silver fir reaches its best 

 development. The upper part of Mount Pinos consists of a rather gentiy 

 rolling table-land. The automobile road ends at an altitude of 7,800 feet, and 

 in a walk of two miles the summit, 8,826 feet, is reached. The mountain is 

 really a broad ridge with an exceedingly steep north slope which falls 3,800 

 feet in a distance of three miles to San Emigdio Creek. This creek runs in an 

 east and west valley paralleling the longer diameter of Mount Pinos. 



Nesting. — Mr. Pemberton (1928) was the first, and so far as I 

 know is the only one, to find the nest of this grouse. Describing 

 his experience with it, he writes : 



This year, Dudley DeGroot and the writer spent May 21 looking for eggs, 

 being unable to make the trip earlier. The interesting discovery was made 

 that at that time no birds could be located on the higher part of the mountain, 

 while well down on the cliff-like north slope many hooters could be heard. We 

 believed that the hooters were near the sitting females, so we spent our time 

 clambering about on this steep slope. Many tons of rocks were rolled down 

 but no birds could be flushed. Finally, as I was about ready to give it up and 

 about 200 feet below the rim of the steep slope at about the 8,200 foot level, I 

 flushed a female at a distance of about 50 feet and immediately saw the egg*. 

 The bird left with a great whirr, lit on the lowest branch of a large pine about 

 100 feet distant, clucked a few times as she walked to the end of the limb, and 

 then flew noiselessly downhill. The location was near a point where a hooter 

 had been circling all day and, although he moved his location many times, it was 



