526 



SCRATCHING BIRDS — GALLIN.E. 



Tetrao obscurus, Hay. 



THE DUSKY GROUSE. 



Tetrao ohscunis, Say, Louy's ExiKcl. li. Mts. II. 1823, U. — BoN.^rARTE, Am. Orn. III. 

 1830 ; pi. xviii. — SwAiNSON, Fauna Bor. Amcr. II. Ig.'Jl, 344 ; pi. lix., Ix. — Nuttali., 

 Man. I. 1832, C66. — Audl'uox, Oni. Bioi:. IV. 1.S38, 446; pi. 301. In. Birils Aiiu'r. 

 1.1842,89; pi. 295. — Newberry, P. H. l!i|>. VI. iv. 1857, 93. — Baii:i>, P. li. Kip. 

 IX. Birds, 620. — Heermann, X. vi. 01. — Coui'ek ami Suckley, XII. iii. Zuul. uf 

 W. T. 219. — Loud, Pr. R. Art. Inst. AVoolwicli, I. 1863, 122. (British Cohiinbiu.) — 

 Oinace ohscura, Bo:JAPAETE, Coniptcs Rcndus, XLV. 1857, 428. — Daidrayajms obscurus, 

 Elliot, Pr. A. N. Sc. 1864, 23. 1b. Mon. Tcfraouida', plate. 



Sp. Ciiak. Soxl'S ilissiniilar. Above lihiisli-lilack ; ]ilimib(.'iiiis or black bcni'alh. Tail 

 uniform black, finely and obscurely mottled above, and broadly tipped with liglit ^^late. 

 Beneath uniform ])lunibeons. A dusky half-collar on the throat. The chin and throat 

 above white, varied with black. Tail about two thirds the length of the wing,s, broad, 



Male. 



rounded, composed of twenty broad, even, and truncated leathers. Tarsi feilhered to the 

 toes, the feathers exteniling along the sides of the basal half of the first joints of the toes. 

 Pectinations on the sides of the toes very short. Length, 19.00 ; extent, 28.00 ; wing, 

 9.50 ; tail, 7.50. Iris brown ; lull horn-color ; feet grayish. 



Hah. Oregon and 'Washington ; througli the mountains of Northern California, and 

 eastward to the Black Hills and southward to New INIexico. 



This fine o'aine-liinl is common in Ore^iju ami Xovtlieni Califoriiia, ex- 

 tendiug in the Coast Ilange nearly to San Francisco Bay, and in the Sierra 

 Nevada to abotit lat. .38°. They are hrouglit to marl'Cet in ■winter i'roni tlie 



