BIRDS—TETRAONIDAE—TETRAO OBSCURUS. 621 
The prevailing color of this species is dark brown above, with fine mottlings of plumbeous ; 
beneath nearly uniform plumbeous ; the sides, however, under the wings, the scapulars, and the 
outer surface of the wingsare like the back, but also mottled finely with brown, with a tendency 
to light ashy towards the tips of the feathers, those of the sides streaked centrally, and terminated 
with white ; the chin and upper part of throat have the feathers white, barred terminally with 
black, and the loral feathers similarly marked ; there is, however, a dark brown stripe from the 
bill beneath the eye and over the ear coverts, as well as a half collar on the lower part of the 
throat, of a dark plumbeous black. The tail feathers are lustrous black beneath; slaty black 
above, with a terminal bar of ashy plumbeous, varying considerably in width. The under tail 
coverts are dark plumbeous, broadly tipped with white. All the feathers on the lower part of 
the neck are white, except at the tip. 
The female is somewhat similar, except that the feathers of the neck and fore part of the 
back have conspicuous transverse bars of brownish yellow. The outlines of the dark transverse 
pectoral collar are indistinct, and the dark streak beneath the orbits appears to be wanting. 
The plumbeous of the under parts is duller, and more obscured with white. The upper tail 
coverts and inner tail feathers are banded with grayish. 
There are considerable differences in different specimens of this species, varying with age and 
sex. In one specimen, 4505, from the Cascades, much the largest of all, the back is quite 
uniformly black, with scarcely any mottling, except on the rump and wings; the under parts 
are dark continuous slate color, passing insensibly into the darker collar of the throat. The 
white of the chin is much obscured, In another male (5746) the feathers beneath are all edged 
with whitish. This specimen (of August 3,) has the tarsi nearly bare. One specimen (2859) 
has the tail entirely black, without slaty tip. 
List of specimens. 
Collected by— (Length. | Stretch | Wing. Remarks, 
Catal. Sex and Locality. When col- | Whence obtained. | Orig?! | 
No. age. lected. | No. | lof wings. | 
| —— ——s | | | 
5747 | 3 | Black Hills, Neb. ...... Aug. 2, 1856 | Lieut. Bryan ....| 193 | | 
DAG EMG: “HescescdO.consecccsccvses AUS. dy l806 | cacccedQisccccceee 
7047? 
7046 | 
8919 
8918 |. meees 
EOIM lewaciovst| scosss dO’. cua su@escice << Wacvennannescs 
8920 ee DOre cece vevccecees | sovsesvens 
8915 | 
8916 | 
10015. | St. Mary’s Pass, R. mts | Oct. 
10017 | Rocky mountains.. .,-|....scssseese| 
4505 3 | Cascade mountains ... .| Lt. Williamson... 
10008 |....+++.| Fort Dalles, Oregon..../sesreee Dr, Suckley...... 
10010 |......-.| Clickatat, W. T........ Aug. 4,1853| Gov. Stevens... 
TOOL |e exis se) Dr. Suckley ..... 
10013 | Gov. Stevens .... . Suckley .../ 
10009 |. Dr. Suckley...... B35 | saadanéeca seeve| 
10012 se ceseeccsslseeseeeeeesee-| GOV. Stevens....| 67 | Dr. Suckley ...| 
4398 eccccecees| April 18,1855 | Dr. SucKkley .0...| 194 |.cccccccer seeeee 
10014 +.|May 3,1856|...... dO... e006 vess| 368 | Dr. Suckley ... 
10027 | April —, 1854 | Gov. Stevens ....] 62 |.eeees+dOveveees 
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