6o Allen's naturalist's library. 



then with very little apparent motion he performs his growHng 

 or groaning, I don't know which to call it, having the strange 

 peculiarity of seeming quite distant when quite near, and near 

 when distant, in fact appearing to come from every direction 

 but the true one. ... As near as I can judge by meeting 

 with the young broods, these birds nest at the lowest points 

 about May 15, at the highest about the beginning of June. 

 The number of chicks seen by me in a brood ranged from 

 three to eight. ... In a single instance only, with a 

 brood about ten days old, have I noticed the presence of 

 both parents. Perched upon a fallen tree, the male seemed to 

 be on the look-out, while the female and young were feeding 

 close by. This seeming indifference of the male while the 

 brood is very young, allowing his mate to protect them, if he 

 really is always near at hand, looks very strange, and yet it 

 may be the case, since he is generally with the covey when the 

 young are well-grown." 



Eggs. — Pale cream-colour to creamy-buff, equally marked 

 all over with rather small rounded spots and dots of chestnut 

 brown. Average measurements, I'gby i "4 inch. 



SUB-SP. a. THE SOOTY CAPERCAILZIE. DENDRAGAPUS 

 FULIGINOSUS. 



Canace ohscurus^ var. fultginosus, Baird, Brewer and Ridgw. 



N. Amer. B. iii. p. 425 (1874). 

 Dendragapus obscurus fuliginosus^ Bendire, Life Hist. N. Am. 



B. p. 43, pi. i. figs. 16-19 (1892). 

 Dendragapus fuliginosus, Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. 



xxii. p. 75 (1893). 

 Adult Male. — Distinguished from D. obscurus by having the 

 grey band across the tip of the tail narrower, less than an. inch 

 ivide on the middle feathers, and by the somewhat darker and 

 more uniform plumage, with much fewer buff markings on the 

 upper-parts, especially on the wing-coverts. 



Adult Female, — Can only be recognised from the female of 



