THE SOOTY GROUSE. 49 



But one brood is raised in a season. Incubation lasts, accordinj; to dilTer- 

 ent observers, from eighteen to tweuty-t'our days. Females seem to predominate 

 in numl)ers, but I do not think that these birds are polygamous. Their ordi- 

 nary note resembles the cackling of the domestic hen very much. The Indian 

 name of the Sooty Grouse on the Northwest coast is " Tijhee-Cullaw-C uUair " 

 "Chief Bird." 



According to my own observations, made in various portions of Oregon, 

 Washington, and Idaho, the usual nundjer of eggs laid by the Sooty Grouse is 

 about eight, and occasionally as many as ten are found in a set. Prof 0. B. 

 Johnson, of the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, informs me, 

 however, that he found as many as sixteen eggs in a nest, and gives the average 

 number from eight to twelve. Tlie former, I think, will, as a rule, come 

 nearer to the correct average. 



The eggs are ovate in shape, and the ground color varies from pale ci'eam 

 to a cream-buff, the latter l)eing more common. In a single set before me it 

 is a pale cinnamon. The eggs are more or less spotted over their entire surface 

 with tine dots of chocolate or chestnut brown; these spots vary considerably 

 in size in different sets, ranging from the size of No. 3 shot to that of mustard 

 seed. These markings are generally well rounded, regular in shape, and prett\- 

 eveuly distributed over the entire eg^^. They never run into irregular ai\d 

 heavy blotches, such as are frequently found in the eggs of the Canada Grouse, 

 Ik'ndrafiapm canadensis, which approach the pattern usually found among those 

 of the Willow Ptarmigan, Lagopns lagopiis, nauch nearer than the former. All 

 of these markings can be readily washed off, as well as the overlying ground 

 color, while the)' are still quite fresh, leaving the shell a delicate pale creamv 

 white. In fact this coloring matter rubs off very readily, and occasionalh' 

 fresh eggs will not stand even a good wiping. An egg is usually deposited 

 daily and incubation does not begin until the set is completed,, the male taking 

 apparently no part in this duty nor in the care of the }'Oung after they are 

 hatched. 



The average size of ninety-six specimens in the U. S. National Museum 

 collection is 48.5 by 34.5 millimetres. The largest egg of the series measures 

 52 by 37, the smallest 45 by 32.5 millimetres. 



The type specimens show the different variations found in the eggs of the 

 Sooty Grouse, and are all from the Bendire collection, Iiaving been col- 

 lected by the author. No. 21073 (PI. 1, Fig. IG), is 'from a set of ten, taken 

 near Camp Harney, Oregon, May 10, 1876; No. 21074 (PI. 1, Fig. 17), from 

 a set of eight ccdlecred on the Canyon City Mountain, Grant County, Ore- 

 gon, June 8, 1876; No. 21079 (PI. 1, Fig. 18), from a set of nine, taken May 

 10, 1877, near Camp Harney, Oregon, and No, 21080 (PI. 1, Fig. 19), from a 

 set of seven eggs found near Fort Klamath, Oregon, and taken May 22, 1883 

 The majority of the eggs of this subspecies resemble the specimen figured on 

 PI. 1, Fig. 18, more than the other types. 

 20957— Bull. 1 4 



