234 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on American Gallinae. 



'& 



Canachites canadensis canace (Norton) op. cit. p. 152 

 [Canada, Northern United States, and New Brunswick]. 



I. Mr. Bangs attempts to shew that the Canadian Grouse 

 from Labrador differ constantly from birds obtained in Maine, 

 and names the former C. c. lahradorius. He states that the 

 upper parts in the females of the former are much less 

 suffused with buff or ochraceous throughout the plumage, 

 and are more nearly grey and black. 



He compares females killed between the 12th of July and 

 the 9th of August^ i. e. still in entire or partial worn breeding- 

 plumage, with nearly freshly-moulted females from Maine 

 shot between the 16th and 27th of August. 



Our specimens shew that there is no difference in plumage 

 which is not due to season or age. A female from Nipissing 

 Dist., Ontario (September), and a female from Quebec 

 (October), agree exactly with a female from Ungava (De- 

 cember) ; all three have the upper parts mostly black and grey, 

 which was supposed to be characteristic of Labrador birds. 



IT. Mr. Bishop follows by separating the Canadian Grouse 

 inhabiting N. British Columbia and Alaska from those met 

 ■with in Maine. 



He says the female of C. c. osgoodi in breeding-plumage 

 differs from the females found in Maine in having all the 

 bars on the plumage cream- buff and greyish white instead of 

 ochraceous white. 



Specimens in the British Museum Collection disprove 

 this statement ; for females from Nulato, Fort Simpson, and 

 Jasper's House are indistinguishable from females fromMaine 

 and New Brunswick. 



III. Lastly, Mr. Norton correctly points out that C. c. 

 /aZrac^ormsis a mere synonj^m of typical C. canadensis (Linn.), 

 which was founded on birds from Hudson Bay ; but he is 

 o£ opinion that birds from New Englaud and parts of Canada 

 are distinct and should bear the name of C. c. canace (Linn.). 

 As already stated, I cannot admit this distinction, all 

 the alleged differences in plumage being fully accounted 

 for by season or age, and being in no way dependent on 

 locality. 



