TETRAOXID.E — THE GROUSE — CEXTROCERCUS. 



537 



latter olijection may be overcome by stripping off the skin as soon as the 

 bird is killed, and emptying the contents of the crop and stomach. Prob- 

 ably if trapped and fed for a few days this trouble would be entirely obvi- 

 ated. 



I have not myself seen tliis bird in California, but there is a fine speci- 

 men in the possession of Mr. I)illon, of (lakland, Avhicli he says was shot 

 near the IMojave Ei\-er. I saw wliat I thought must be the tracks of this 

 bird among the scrulj-oaks near the bead-waters of that river, and have 

 lieard of birds resembling tliem having Ijeen seen near tlie boundary of 

 Lower California, — a country similar to that inhabited by them east of the 

 Sierra. I haxe heard that they are common near "N'irgiaia City, Kevada. 



Female. 



Dr. Newberrv found them common in the northeast corner of Califdrnia, 

 along I'it Itiver, near " Kound Valley," and thence al)uudant towards tlie 

 north, and east of tlie Cascade IMountains. In the plains north of the l^p- 

 per Columbia I found some of them in 1853, lint they were not abundant, 

 and in 1860 I saw none there, wliile Mr. J. Hepburn, who visited that dis- 

 trict especially in search of them, was equally unsuccessful. Xuttall, how- 

 ever, speaks of seeing flocks of hundreds of them south of Snake PiiN'er, and 

 their chief range is probably in Eastern Oregon, Utah, and Nevada. They 

 are only found in those barren, sandy, and almost waterless districts where 

 the chief vegetation is Artemisia, and other plants ^\'hich cattle will not 

 touch. They feed on the leaves of this bitter shrub, as well as others, and 

 probably on various seeds of grasses, etc. 



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