COLUMBIAX SlIARP-TAILEB GBOVSE 559 



upper tail coverts; scajmlars marked with Avhite wedges; tail sliarply pointed, the 

 middle tail feathers being about an inch longer than the rest and marked with 

 bro^\'nish black and buffy white; rest of tail feathers chiefly white; outer surface 

 of closed wing irregularly marked with clay color, or pale cinnamon, and bro"\vn, 

 many of the feathers Avith sharply contrasted white spots at ends; flight feathers 

 and primary coverts dull brown, spotted with wliite on outer Avebs; margin and 

 forward lining of wing mixed white and dull brown; rest of lining and axillars, 

 white ; under surfaces of flight feathers, pale brown ; under surface of body white, 

 with bold, V-shaped marks of broA^ii paralleling margins of feathers; markings 

 heaviest on lower breast; chest, sides and flanks, barred with dark brown, 

 clay color and white; belly and lower tail coverts almost or wholly immaculate; 

 feathering of legs and feet grayish brown ; toes and horny fringes gray ; nails 

 blackish. Total length "15.00-19.00" inches (381-482 mm.) (Ridgway, 1900, 

 p. 203); folded wing 7.68-8.47 (195-215); bill along culmen 0.57-0.68 (14.5- 

 17.4); tarsus 1.52-1.85 (38.7-47.0) (four specimens, from British Columbia, 

 Alberta and Colorado). Juvenile plumage: Top of head mixed black and light 

 rusty brown ; stripe from side of bill through eye, yellowish white ; another stripe 

 beloAV eye, mixed black and yellowish brown ; chin and fore-throat, white ; whole 

 upper surface largely yelloAvish brown, with irregular black patches on the feathers 

 and white shaft streaks; outer surface of closed wing grayish brown, spotted with 

 dull white ; feathers of breast, sides and flanks, pale yellowish broA\Ti, with small 

 black spots and white shaft streaks; belly white; feathers on tarsus pale buff. 

 Natal pJumar/e : Ground color of upper surface straw yellow becoming buffy 

 along middle line, the whole boldly spotted with black; whole lower surface 

 deep straw yellow, without markings; bill horn color; feet (dried) yellow. 



Marks for field identification — Medium size (much smaller than Sierra 

 Grouse and Sage-hen), unhanded, pointed tail (whence the name Sharp-tail), 

 mixed color pattern, of pale effect, on upper surface, and pure white ground of 

 under surface. 



A'oiCE — A loud lul-liil-tid-, Avhen startled (Cooper, 1870fl, p. 533) ; males in 

 the spring have a loud cackling note (A'ernon Bailey in Bailey, 1902, p. 132). 



Xest — -On prairie land in tuft of grass or near a small hillock; a slight de- 

 pression with sparse lining of grass-stalks and root-fibres (Baird, Brewer and 

 Ridgway, 1874, III, p. 438). 



Eggs — 10 to 15, short ovate in shape, measuring in inches, 1.54 to 1.83 by 

 1.22 to 1.36 (in millimeters, 39.0 to 46.5 by 31.0 to 34.5), and averaging 1.70 by 

 1.26 (43.0 by 32.0) ; creamy buff to pale olive bro^vn, unmarked, or else finely 

 dotted vrith reddish broAvn (Bendire, 1892, p. 101). 



General distribution — Of all races of the Sharp-tailed Grouse: Central and 

 western Xorth America from central Alaska and Ungava south to Illinois and 

 northeastern California; of the Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse (subspecies 

 columbianus) : central British Columbia and central Alberta, south to northeastern 

 California, Utah, and central Colorado (A. O. U. Check -list, 1910, p. 144). 



Distribution in CALiFORNiA^Formerly common in the Modoc region. Re- 

 corded from Canoe Creek [near Cassel, northeastern Shasta County] and upper 

 Pit River (Newberry, 1857, p. 94), and Camp Bidwell, Modoc County (Henshaw, 

 1880&, p. 317). No perfectly authenticated instances of occurrence mthin late 

 years; probably now nearly or quite extinct within the state. 



The history of the Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse, as far as it 

 concerns California, is like that of a considerable number of North 

 American game and non-game birds, which were once extremely abun- 



