DUSKY GROUSE (Dendragapus obscurus 

 obscurus). With the exception of the Sage 

 Grouse, this is the largest of American 

 grouse, measuring about 20 in. in length and 

 weighing about three pounds. This mag- 

 nificent grouse is not uncommon in the 

 Rocky Mountains from Arizona to northern 

 Colorado. Another race, known as the 

 Sooty Grouse, which differs chiefly in having 

 a narrower tail band, is found from Alaska 

 south to Oregon. Still another, Richardson 

 Grouse, which shows scarcely any tail band, 

 is found in the Rockies from Mackenzie to 

 Oregon and Montana. All these birds are 

 known to sportsmen as one, and are usually 

 termed "Blue Grouse." 



During winter they spend most of their 

 time in the tops of immense firs and pines, 

 feeding upon the buds and needles and only 

 coming down early in the morning or at dusk 

 to drink. Living as they do, in places where 

 the trees are of gigantic size and set closely 

 together, these birds are difficult to see, since 

 their colors match the bark well and they sit 

 motionless until they are pretty sure they 

 are seen, when they will whir away with 

 a thunderous roar. As more than half the 

 time the speeding bird is apt to be behind 

 tree trunks, the chances of successful wing 

 shots are not rosy. 



Their eggs, laid in slight depressions along- 

 side of logs or under bushes, are creamy-buff, spotted all over with brown. 



CANADA SPRUCE PARTRIDGE (Canachites canadensis canace). A 

 medium-sized grouse, measuring about 15 in. in length, feeding chiefly upon 

 spruce buds, which impart a disagreeable taste to its flesh, on which account 

 they are seldom shot and are usually exceedingly tame. They are sometimes 

 caught in the hands and often caught with a noose on the end of a pole. 

 This species, or some of the almost identical forms, is found in wooded re- 

 gions of Canada and northern United States. Franklin Grouse, found in 

 western Canada and northwestern United States, has scarcely any band on 

 the end of the tail and the upper coverts are broadly banded with white. 



DUSKY GROUSE 

 SPRUCE PARTRIDGE 



49 



