NORTHERN SHARP-TAILED GROUSE 285 



and Monahans. Casual in winter at Lipscomb in the Panhandle 

 area, and it appears probable that some winter in southeastern New 

 Mexico (vicinity of Carlsbad). 



No information is available relative to the movements of this species 

 between breeding and wintering areas. 



Casual records. — Widmann (1907) reports a specimen in the Hurter 

 collection said to have come from southwestern Missouri, and that in 

 January, 1877, large numbers were shipped to Fulton market, New 

 York City, from Pierce County. Neff (1923) states the species was 

 noted in Lawrence County, Mo., in 1887. A specimen in the collec- 

 tion of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia was taken 

 between January 24 and 28, 1894, near Garneth, Kans., while another 

 was collected at Oakley, Kans., January 1, 1921. The exploring 

 party of Capt. John Pope collected two specimens (later made the 

 types of the species) on the Staked Plains, N. Mex., on March 3 and 

 March 11, 1854. 



Lesser prairie chickens also have been reported from Nebraska, but 

 in the lack of specimen evidence it is thought that the records refer 

 to T. c. americanus. At the present time the Arkansas River appears 

 to be a very definite northern boundary to their range. 



Egg dates. — Colorado to Texas: 12 records, May 5 to June 12; 

 6 records, May 20 to June 1. 



PEDIOECETES PHASIANELLUS PHASIANELLUS < Linnaeus) 

 NORTHERN SHARP-TAILED GROUSE 



HABITS 



As the specimen on which Linnaeus bestowed the type name of the 

 species came from the Hudson Bay region, the name P. p. phasianel- 

 lus is now restricted to the dark-colored race, which ranges through 

 the forested regions of northern Canada to central Alaska. Its center 

 of abundance seems to be in the vicinity of Great Slave Lake, Macken- 

 zie. Swainson and Richardson (1831) say that " it is found through- 

 out the woody districts of the fur-countries, haunting open glades or 

 low thickets on the borders of lakes, particularly in the neighbourhood 

 of the trading-posts, where the forests have been partially cleared." 

 According to Major Bendire (1892) it was found breeding at Fort 

 Rae, in latitude 63° N., and at Fort Good Hope, in the Mackenzie 

 River Basin. MacFarlane (1908) found it breeding in the valley of 

 the Lockhart and Anderson Rivers, where two nests were found, but 

 the eggs were afterwards lost. Herbert W. Brandt says in his 

 Alaska notes: 



The sharp-tailed grouse proved to be the most common gallinaceous bird we 

 encountered during the early stages of our dog-sled trip to Hooper Bay. We 

 first collected it on March 22, when two handsome males were taken, but small 



