NORTHERN SHARP-TAILED GROUSE 287 



ern Ontario (Severn House and Fort Albany) ; and Quebec (Great 

 Whale River). East to Quebec (Great Whale River and Fort 

 George) ; eastern Ontario (Lake Abitibi, Lake Temiskaming, Parry 

 Sound, and Beaumaris) ; formerly northeastern Illinois (Wauke- 

 gan) ; formerly east-central Iowa (Grinnell) ; and formerly central 

 Kansas (Fort Hays). South to formerly Kansas (Fort Hays, Ellis, 

 and Banner) ; New Mexico (Raton) ; Colorado (Pagosa Springs, 

 Fort Lewis, and Cortez) ; southern Utah (Parawan Mountains) ; and 

 formerly northern California (Canoe Creek and Fort Crook). West 

 to formerly northern California (Fort Crook and Camp Bidwell) ; 

 Oregon (Fort Klamath, Caleb, and The Dalles) ; Washington (Top- 

 penish and Dosewallops River) ; British Columbia (Nicola, Earn- 

 loops, Cariboo Road, 158-mile House, Quesnelle, and Hudsons Hope) : 

 southwestern Yukon (Tagish Lake, Alsek River, and Lake Kluane) ; 

 and Alaska (Kolmakof, Holy Cross, Tacotna, Lake Minchumina, and 

 Allakakat). 



Sharptails are not now known to breed east of Ontario, Minne- 

 sota, South Dakota, and Colorado, and apparently they have been 

 entirely extirpated from Iowa, Kansas, and California. The species 

 occurs only as a summer straggler in western Alaska (Allakakat, 

 Holy Cross, Lake Minchumina, and Kolmakof), and as a winter 

 straggler in southeastern Ontario (Lake Abitibi and Temiskaming) 

 and Quebec (Great Whale River). It has, however, occurred in 

 summer at Fort George, Quebec. In some winters it is abundant 

 at Vermilion and Watertown, S. Dak. 



Migration. — In common with some of the ptarmigans, there ap- 

 pears to be a definite migration from the northern part of the range, 

 governed by the severity of winter conditions and the available food 

 supply. This exodus, however, does not extend south of the breeding 

 range. It has been observed, apparently, only by E. A. Preble, who 

 noted flocks moving southward at Fort Norman, Mackenzie, on Oc- 

 tober 1, 1903, and who detected early spring arrivals at Fort Simp- 

 son, Mackenzie, on March 12, 1904. 



The range as outlined is for the entire species, which has been 

 separated into four subspecies. The northern sharp-tailed grouse 

 (P. p. phasianellus) occupies the northern part of the range south 

 to Lake Superior, the Parry Sound district (casually) of Ontario, 

 and the Saguenay River, Quebec. The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse 

 (P. p. columbianus) is found from the interior lowlands of British 

 Columbia south (formerly) to northeastern California, Utah, Colo- 

 rado, and northern New Mexico. The range of the prairie sharp- 

 tailed grouse (P. p. campestris) extends from eastern Colorado. 

 Kansas, northern Illinois, and Wisconsin north to southern Manitoba, 

 Saskatchewan, and Alberta. 



