THE OREGON NATURALIST. 
that 
I have observed them flying was November 2nd 
1892. 
rather late, but I have never seen them earlier. 
unable to migrate. However the earliest 
This may seem to many observers as 
The winter plumage of this bird is too well 
known to need description, as are indeed its 
habits for who, has not passed through several 
ineffectual attempts to capture a ‘‘Loon’? and 
although ‘‘us naturalists” are proverbially poor 
shots, who has not used some very expressive 
language as after having a ‘‘dead bead” on him 
you see a few ripples upon the water and an 
empty shellin your gun, for your trouble- 
However probably more interesting from a 
sciet tific point of view are the anatomical 
peculiarities of the class of which these birds are 
This 
class includes only three families namely the 
the type viz. Pygepodes or Diving birds. 
Grebes, Loons, and Auks. All of these swim 
and dive with perfect ease; many being capable 
of traversing great distances under water; their 
progress being effected by the wlngs and feet 
together. To accomplish this the legs are placed 
so far posteriorly, that for the bird to stand in 
a horizontal positiou is impossible. When upon 
“terra firma’’ the divers all are compelled by 
this arrangement to maintain an upright posi- 
tion, and in doing so the whole of the tarsus is 
placed upon the the ground and together with 
the tail afford some additional support to the 
awkward and constrained attitude. 
The Loonsand the Auks fly well and vigorously 
but the Grebes are noted when flying low for 
their peculiar flight. The tarsus is compressed 
in all the species of each family, but notably in 
the Loons. The feet present some difference, 
being entirely palmatein Loons and Auks but 
lobate in the Grebes. 
Among the Osteological peculiarities, should 
be mentioned the prominent apophysis of the 
Loon’s and Grebes’ tibix. This is not nearly 
as prominent in the Anks but at the elbow of 
this latter group are developed two fair sized 
sesamoids (bones developed in the tendon of a 
muscle.) The characters of the rest of the Loons 
and Grebes resemble those already described, 
so that next month we will consider the three 
toed palmate birds, the Auks. 
(to be continued ) 
SI 
THE SHARP-TAILED GROUSE. 
This bird once so abundant on the plains of 
Eastern Oregon, Washington and ‘‘Big bend 
of the Columbia,” is slowly and surely repeating 
the history of the pinnated grouse of the West- 
ern states. Where fifteen years ago they could 
be seen in winter in flocks of fifty and more; 
flocks of a dozen are now uncommon. 
Then their great enemy was the coyote, who 
robbed their nest an@ caught their young. Now 
it Is man with his traps or gun. 
The sharp tailed grouse in Oregon is resident 
East of the Cascade mountains: throughout 
the year, in winter during pleasant weather, 
gleaning from the stubble-field andstraw-stack, 
retiring at dusk to roost in the timber that 
skirts the guilies and creeks, and to which they 
confine themselves during stormy periods, 
feeding on young buds of the pine, or if the 
weather is very cold or blustering, and the 
the 
ground aliowing themselves to be covered by 
the falling snow. 
snow falling heavily, they roost upon 
It not infrequently happens 
that the snow turning sleety and the mercury 
falling rapidly, they are imprisoned and some- 
times die before the crust softens sufficiently 
for them to release themselves. 
In the spring when the snow disappears and 
the nights become warmer, they repair to the 
treeless prairie, there to remain, roosting at 
night on the ground, until late in the fall of 
the year, when they congregate in flocks until 
another spring, unless decimated by the traps 
of the pot-hunter. 
In March they mate and their courtship is 
very interesting to one fortunate enough to 
witness it. A place on the south slope of 
some slight hill [for these prairies are rolling 
prairies] is selected, with the females in the 
center, the males strut around them in a circle, 
each bird evidently striving to show off his 
best points; frequently several days are occu- 
pied before ali are paired. 
The places are so well selected and free 
from cover that the grouse cannot be ap- 
proached, and must be studied with the aid of 
a field glass. The same places are selected 
year after year, and the rings, which are quite 
