210 NATURAL inSTOIlY OF BlUDS. 



North American bluo-grousc liavt- boi-n j)I:k-c'i1 apart iiiuler tlic term Dcndragapua, 

 coiitiiinint; the dusky, blue, or i)iiK'-grouse, JJ. obscut-us, of tlio easlorii foot-hills of the 

 Rocky Mountains, south into Mexico, anil its barely separable ally, Kichardson's 

 grouse, J), ricluinhuni, of the central liocky Mountains from South Pass north to 

 Hudson Bay Territory, with its jet black, square tail, dilYering in this point from the 

 rounded black tail, with its terminal gray bar, of JJ. obscurus. \ third variety is 

 I). fitU'jiiiosus from Oregon to Sitka. These birds inhabit exclusively the evergreen 

 forests at elevations of about G,OUO feet, but in winter, in the Sierra Nevada, they 

 descend to 2,000 feet. In the s|)ring the males emit a prolonged sound, like the whir 

 of a rattan cane, caused by the inflation ami contraction of two sacs, one on each side 

 of the throat, covereil by an orange-colorecl skin, but which arc usually concealed, when 

 eolla])sed, by the feathere. They are large birds, and their flesh is while and delicate. 



The genus Canace has three sj)ecies, the spruce-grouse, distributed throughout the 

 eastern ITiiited States to the Rocky ^lountains, an<l northward to the Arctic regions; 

 Franklin's grouse, abundant in the Rocky, Bitter Root, and Cascade Mountains, 

 Washington Territory; and Ilartlaub's grouse, C. {Falcipeiiiiis) hartlaubi, from 

 Siberia, diiTcring from the othei-s, beside the coloring of its ])lumage, by liaving tlie 

 primaries falcate or sickk'-stia])e. They are forest and sw.'uii]i-loving birds, very tame 

 and unsuspicious, and their flesh is dark and generally bitter. The black-cock, T. fetrij- 

 (sometimes placed in the genus Lyrurus), has a glossy black plumage with blue 

 reflections, and the under tail-coverts j)ure white. It is abundant in Great Britain and 

 on the continent of Euroi>e, e.\tending eastward as far as China. In the mountains of 

 the Caucasus a second species is found, T. mlokosieiciczi, differing fi-oiii the bl.ack-cock 

 by its black under tail-coverts, and by having the tail bent downward and slightly 

 outwanl at the ti|i, the feathers trough-sliajied at the ends. The black-cock is accus- 

 tomed, during the breeding season, to come together in large companies, called in 

 Sweden the 'orrlek' or ' lek.' The locality is an open place surrounded by forest 

 trees, where the males ap])ear before dawn and begin to strut not unlike a turkey-cock. 

 When two or more meet during the performance, a desperate conflict ensues, not 

 unfrequently ending in a regular rough-and-tumble fight. Unlike the capercaili, the 

 black-cock, while 'drumming,' is wide-awake to all that is going on about bim, e.Ycept 

 when engaged in battle. After the males have been occupied with their manceuvres 

 for a short period, frequently uttering their call-notes, the females ajipear ujK)n the 

 scene, and the pairing takes place. The female, or gray-hen as she is called, dc]iosits 

 her eggs, eight or nine in number, under some bushes or in the heather, and the chick.s, 

 when tirsl hatched, are fed on ants' eggs or insects. Unlike the cock-of-the-woods, 

 although the species under consideration frequents the forests, it prefers the moors 

 and plains, and is very shy and diflicult of ap])roach. 



The magnificent capercaili, T. iirot/a/ln.i, with its relative, the Siberian wood- 

 grouse, T. uroffalloides, are tlie chief sjiecies of the genus Tetrao, and are the largest 

 of all known grouse. The first named is .still met with in Scotlan<1, having been 

 introduced into that country after having become e.vtinct, and is found tln-oughout 

 northern Europe, and in Asia, but is replaced in eastern Siberia by the .smaller species, 

 T. urof/aUoidc.'i. All of these birds are denizens of the forests, delighting in the thick 

 pines and firs, upon the leaves of which the capercaili feeds. Space forbids a detailed 

 account of the habits of this noble bird, and will permit of but a brief notice of the 

 manner in whicii the male is accustomed to call the hens into his presence. The 

 species is polygamous, and the breeding season commences towards the end of March. 



