up the mountain sides, until by the middle of fall they are to be found 

 only on the higher ridges. Those, however, whose winter homes are in 

 the highest western ranges, do not seem to have so much latitude of 

 movement. On August 5th, I encountered a brood of full grown young 

 on Wright's Peak, at an altitude of 7000 feet : and although the winter 

 snows still clung in patches to the mountain-sides about them, I have no 

 reason to suppose that they were raised more than half a mile away. 



Fr.anklin's Grouse, Dendragapiis franklinii. — Not nearly so common 

 a bird as the last. It does not apparently range so low as the Sooty 

 Grouse in any given section, where both are found ; nor on the contrary, 

 I suspect, is it to be found about the higher peaks. 



On the 28th of April, 1896, I found a nest of this bird at an altitude of 

 about a thousand feet above Lake Chelan. It was placed in the tall 

 grass, which clothed the side of an inconspicious "draw" bottom, and al- 

 though the plough had recently turned up the soil within five feet of her, 

 the mother bird clung to her post. I took several "snap shots" of her at 

 close range, and she allowed me to advance my hand to within a foot of 

 her, when she stepped quietly off the eggs and stood looking back at me 

 over her shoulder. The nest was a depression in the gravel-filled soil, 

 lined with grass and dry corn leaves, .besides a few stray feathers : depth 

 3 inches, width 7 inches. The seven eggs are unusually large : 1.98x1.83 

 and 1.94x1.35 are the measurements of two average eggs of the set. 



Oregon Ruffed Grouse, Bonasa umbelhis sabini. — The differentia- 

 tion of the sub-species of the Ruffed Grouse is not at all clear in this 

 region. In any case the range and habit of the local species is nearly 

 like that of the eastern bird, inasmuch as it frequents copses, springs and 

 river bottoms at low altitudes. One hardly knows when he hears a 

 sharp, rapid, "Dsck. dsi-k, dsek, desk'' close at hand in the brush, 

 whether he has started up a "pheasant" or a red squirrel. 



White-tailed Ptarmigan, Lagofus leiicurus. — This species is report- 

 ed as not uncommon in the higher altitudes. I met with them once on 

 the barren summit of Wright's Peak, at an elevation of about 9,000 feet. 

 So far from deserving the name of "fool hens," applied to them in the 

 winter season, when they riiay be readily approached, these ptarmigan 

 in August were excessively afraid and absolutely unapproachable ; 

 although it is certain they had never seen a human being before. One, 

 upon sighting me at fifty yards, squawked in extreme terror and whirred 

 away at a wonderful pace. 



Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse, Pediocaetes phasianellus colinnbi'a- 

 nns — The common bird in open situations which yet afford copses and 



