128 BULLETIN 16 2, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Field marks. — The male is a handsome bird distinguished by its 

 compact form, its jet-black breast contrasting sharpW with whito, 

 its red combs over the eyes, and its yellow-tipped tail. The female 

 is a plain brown bird barred with black above, in this way differing 

 from the ruffed grouse, which is spotted. It is smaller than the 

 ruffed grouse and has a shorter tail. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Northeastern United States, Canada, and Alaska. 



The spruce partridge is nonmigratory. Its range extends north 

 to Alaska (Noatak River, Coldfoot, Fort Yukon, and Circle) ; Yu- 

 kon (latitude G6° 40' N.) ; Mackenzie (Mackenzie River, Fort Frank- 

 lin, Lake Hardisty, Gros Cape, and Fort Simpson) ; northern Sas- 

 katchewan (Cochrane River) ; northern Manitoba (Lac du Brochet, 

 Fort Churchill, and York Factory) ; northern Ontario (Fort Sev- 

 ern) ; northern Quebec (Fort George, Great Whale River, Fort 

 Chimo, and Whale River) ; and Labrador (Okkak). East to Lab- 

 rador (Okkak) ; eastern Quebec (Rigolet, Groswater Bay, head of 

 the Magdalen River, and Mount Albert) ; northeastern New Bruns- 

 wick (Bathhurst) ; Nova Scotia (Baddeck, Canso, Halifax, and 

 Shelburne) ; eastern Maine (Fort Fairfield, Mount Katahdin, Houl- 

 ton, Kingman, Calais, Orono, and North Livermore) ; and south- 

 ern New Hampshire (Dublin). South to southern New Hampshire 

 (Dublin) ; northern New York (Raquette Lake) ; southern Ontario 

 (Kingston, Peterboro, and Bradford) ; northern Michigan (Au Sa- 

 ble River, Vans Harbor, and Palmer) ; northern Wisconsin (Mamie 

 Lake) ; northern Minnesota (Northern Pacific Junction, Leech Lake, 

 and Hallock) ; southern Saskatchewan (Fort Pelly and Osier) ; 

 central Alberta (Mundare, Blueberry Hills, and Simpson Pass) ; 

 southeastern British Columbia (Goat Mountain) ; and northern 

 Washington (Chopaka Mountain and Barron). West to northwest- 

 ern Washington (Barron) ; northwestern British Columbia (Flood 

 Glacier, Glenora, and Atlin) ; and Alaska (Chilcat, Kodiac, Nusha- 

 gak Lake. Aleknagik, Bethel. Russian Mission, Nulato, Kowak River, 

 Kotzebue, and Noatak River). 



Spruce partridges are of casual occurrence in Massachusetts 

 (Gloucester, in 1851, and Roxbury, about 1865). 



The 1931 edition of the American Ornithologists' Union Check 

 List of North American Birds recognizes four races of Canachites 

 canadensis, all of which are included in the foregoing ranges. 

 True canadensis is found from the Labrador Peninsula west to the 

 eastern base of the Rocky Mountains west of Edmonton, Alberta. 

 Canachites c. canace ranges over the Maritime Provinces of Canada 

 (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) ; northern New England and 



