182 



OENITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 13-No. 12 



ornithological publication for the past twenty 

 years, has been almost imperceptible if it has 

 not yet reached this state. Perhaps, however. 

 Drew has mistaken Tympannchus pallidinnctiis 

 (Ridgw), for this species, which ought, and no 

 doubt will be found along our southern border. 

 I let it remain pending further developments. 



97. Fediocmt.es phasianellus colnmbiaiins 

 (Ord). Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse. This 

 variety I found at Fort Lewis, tolerably 

 common. Although the A. O. U cheek-list does 

 not give that portion of Colorado any of the 

 Grouse except D. obscurus. The Columbian 

 Sharp-tailed is supposed to only be found iu 

 the nortliwesteru United States, and south- 

 western Colorado does not come in here surely. 

 The nest variety is said to be found onlj' on the 

 eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, while La 

 Plata county is on the Pacific slope. This 

 must extend its range somewhat. It is a 

 resident and breeds. The young are found 

 running about in June, and by the middle of 

 August are of good size, when good shooting 

 is to be had upon the mesas, which are covered 

 with a heavy growth of scrub-oak. I have 

 found this to be the best shooting, from a 

 sportsmen's point of view, in the west, because 

 it is found iu such heavy coveys. 



98. PedioccEtes phasianellus cavipestris Ridgw. 

 Prairie Sharp-tailed Grouse. Resident; com- 

 mon. Found in great abundance on tlie plains 

 in the northern half of the state, not as com- 

 mon in southern portion. Dr. Coues states* 

 upon the authority of Capt. Hartley, formerly 

 of the 22d Regiment, the fact [?] that the 

 Sharp-tailed Grouse will fly into a cultivated 

 field, while the Prairie Hen enters on foot. 

 This would be an interesting fact were it true, 

 but in my experience I have not found it so. 

 It will fly, or walk into tlie fields of ranchmen 

 with no preference for either style of locomo- 

 tion. In winter I have sliot numbers of them 

 from the tops of grain stacks early in the 

 morning, where they came from their nests the 

 night before. Under these circumstances they 

 fly, a lighting upon the top of the stacks, but I 

 have always trailed them into the gardens in the 

 fall, without the help of a dog, their footprints 

 being plainly discernable in the dry alkaline 

 dust. 



99. Centrocercus woi^hasianus (Bonap). 

 Sage Grouse. Resident, and con)mon in the 

 dry artemisia tracts of northeastern and south- 

 western Colorado. Breeds abundantly and 

 frequents these localities the entire year. The 



♦Birds of the Northwest, p. 419, 1874. 



largest of our Grouse, and one that is now well- 

 known. It feeds upon insects, leaves of the 

 greasewood and fresli young blades of grass, 

 as 1 have proved by examination of stomach. 

 I have not found them very fond of grass- 

 lioppers but have taken a handful of a small 

 black, hardshellcd bug from them. Perhaps in 

 the vicinity of Forts Felterman and McKinuey, 

 VVyom, they are found in greatest abundance. 

 I have seen thousands of them in a day's ride 

 between these two places. At Fort McKinney 

 I observed a singular sight which will go to 

 show the strength and power of a full-grown 

 Cock. I copy from my notes of the Birds of 

 Wyoming. " On June 12th 18S4, ten miles 

 north of AIcKinney, I observed a laige black 

 hawk make several swoops against the side of 

 a large liill where it appeared to struggle with 

 something, wishing to investigate I turned my 

 horse in that direction and arrived just in time 

 to see the hawk arise a few feet from the 

 ground with what appeared to be a very large 

 bird, which it dropped upon seeing me. The 

 Hawk rose high in air, and as it did so another 

 bird rose heavily and flew directly over rae. I 

 watched its flight and after pa.ssing me a 

 couple of hundred yards it fell to the earth 

 with a heavy plunge, I quickly rode up and 

 found the largest Sage Cock I liad ever seen. 

 It was dead. Dismounting I picked the dead 

 bird up and found the feathers of the back 

 completely gone and the flesh one mass of cats 

 and bruises, I took it home to weigh it and to 

 further examine its injuries. It w'eighedjust 

 nine pounds and three quarters. Upon wash- 

 ing the back it was found that tlie Ilawk had 

 torn the flesh so badl}' over the rump that the 

 entrails were partially drawn through. Even 

 after this, the noble bird had flown over six 

 hundred yards, and then gave up the life it had 

 struggled so hard for. That bird's flesh was 

 never eaten, I buried it out of respect for its 

 noble struggle." The Hawk I could not 

 identify and although it kept circling above me 

 while in the vicinity, it would not come within 

 range of my -'Parker." 



100. Meleagris (/allnpavo mexicana (Gould). 

 Mexican Turkey. Resident and common in 

 certain localities in Southwestern Colorado. I 

 found this bird abundant on the Rio los Pinos, 

 which runs through the Ute reservation. I 

 was first made aware of its piesence in the 

 state by some sent me by a friend. Afterwards 

 I spent ten days there and was surprised to find 

 them so common. Drew enters the true 

 (/(lUnpai'o as a resident but does not state 

 whether he observed it himself or not. If he 



