| piel 
BIRDS—TETRAONIDAE——CUPIDONIA. 627 
feathers of the sides of the belly have concealed marks of the same character. The feathers on 
the back are blackish brown, variously spotted with brownish yellow, without any decided indi- 
cation of transverse bars. A usual marking towards the tip of the feathers is an undulating 
transverse yellowish bar, two opposite U-shaped brown bars, the convexities resting on the shaft 
and more or less confluent, the spaces between these and the tips of the feathers whitish. The 
wings are brownish grey, the coverts all with large spots of white ; both webs of the second- 
aries with conspicuous transverse bars, the outer webs of the primaries with spots of the same. 
The sides of the head and beneath are brownish yellow with a whitish superciliary band; there is a 
curved dusky line below the eye parallel with the orbits, and a dusky spot below this. The tail 
feathers are dotted brownish grey, becoming pure white externally and to the tip. The central 
elongated feathers (or coverts) are like the back. 
Specimens vary in the amount of black on the back, and in the extent of brownish yellow on 
the flanks. 
This species differs totally from the 7’. cupido in the V-shaped marks on the breast and sides, 
instead of transverse bands ; the pure white belly ; the transverse white bands on the second-: 
aries; the white spots on the wings; the lighter quills, and tail, independently of the more 
pointed tail, more feathered tarsi, absence of pointed feathers of the neck, stouter bill, &ec. 
The tibial feathers are soiled white. 
Catal.) Sex. Locality. | When col- Whence obtained. | Orig. | Collected by— | Length.| Stretch | Wing. Remarks. 
No. lected. | No. of wings 
Lae | — es tasted we 
LOOOL |. North Red river...... ee Ov oeiae ciniosine N.W. University.... seeeee R. Kennicott... 
10000 |...... Red river, Minn...... Sept. 25 .vecelevcees Oss vececccecees|sccees|sveees dO. secece 
1969 |...... Fort UnionsNebsl seselecceecdcessces| Suku Baird cccarescsuleesees J. J. Audubon.. 
HOUStawesciel'sesves DO vewesayc cei Rath saver eaecitet LGUs, WAlTeNsireciecis| cece) Dr. Hayden.... 
4543 | J | Fort Pierre . S| Octs 2331855) | caeincOss cecsinesvcedslianess | seve dOvstescees 
4542 |. 2.00 lecreat dOssesseee casa WOGta2ly: 1855: becesed0s- wassseieisved|e asses sence dOisisa'sses 
5422 | Q | Mo. Vermilion river... Oct BOLO! ecnisgAOsstosaclesccisess| cneseis|eeotsc dO... sccc00 18,00 | 28.75 25 | Iris yellowish brown.... 
5421 Q seers GOssceee eeeecees| Oct. 20, 1856 Jecceee COnchacesisis 16.75 | 26.50 00) || Tris: dark ss ces cseccscse 
10002 }...... Snake river, Oregon.., Oct. 5 ...... Dr. Suckley....|........ 
9999 }...... | Spokan river, W. T... Oct. 30, 1853 Dr. Cooper..... seavecer[scesccceleoceccer (cove tess sees ccssteevecee 
CUPIDONIA, Reichenbach. 
Cupidonia, Reicuensacnu, Av. Syst. Nat. 1850, p. xxix. Type Tetrao cupido, L. 
Cu.—Tail short, half the lengthened wings; the feathers stiffened and more or less graduated. Bare space of the neck 
concealed by a tuft of lanceolate feathers. Culmen between 
Tarsi feathered only to near the base, the lower joint scutellate. 
the nasal fossae scarcely one-third the total length. 
This genus, as far as known, is entirely peculiar to North America. Its single species, C. 
cupido, is the well known prairie chicken, or prairie hen, of the west, a bird in its abundance 
and importance as an article of food representing, in the prairies of the United States, the 
ptarmigan or snow grouse of the north. 
Comparative measurements. 
Catal. | | Length. Middle | Its claw ‘pin above. 
Locality. Sex. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. | | | Along Specimens 
No. toe. | alone. | gape. measured. 
|, 
10006 | Tremont, [Ilinois ......ss00s00e 3 16.60 | 80 | 4.7 2.02 2.35 | 0.62 | 0.87 1.09 | Skin........ 
10003 |... Mose ea estos. \seaseseesssalTt © 14.00 | 8.10 | 4.30 1.86 2.03 | 0.42 | 0.84 1K098 | Skies. eee 
10007 | Near 32° L, Texas ...seeeeeeees 3g? | 14.50 | 8.30 4.18 1.66 1.78 | 0.40 | 0.88 1:08) ||‘Skin'seeceeee 
MOODS) |Vaseesdosateveetaaes ssesseeeeres] <Q? | 14.80 | 7.80 | 3.42 1.59 1.76 | 0.34 | 0.90 Te14laliSeintcteees 
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