304 GROUSE. 



along which they run, and, crouching down, conceal themselves 

 among the foliage. The nest is formed on the ground, in a thicket, 

 or beneath a log. The female lays from eight to fifteen eggs. 



A remarkable group of these elegant birds {Callipcpla) are met 

 with in California and Mexico, where they seem to prefer dry, 

 gravelly, or sandy plains, or level places in open woods. They 

 generally live in bands of two or three hundred individuals. On 

 the approach of winter they migrate to the immediate vicinity of 

 tne coast. 



The type of the race is — 



The Black-throated American Partridge {Ortyx nigrogidaris). 



S lib- Family V. 

 THE GROUSE PROPER. TETRAONIN.^. 



General Characteristics. — Bill short, broader than long, elevated at the base, 

 the sides gradually compressed to the lip; the nostrils entirely clothed with small 

 feathers; "the wings moderate and rounded; the tail ample and of various forms; 

 the tarsi modei^ate, more or less clothed with feathers ; the toes long, and sometimes 

 covered with feathers. 



These birds are found in the northern parts of Europe and 

 America, inhabiting the great pine and spruce forests, especially 

 of the higher mountains. During the autumn and winter they live 

 harmoniously in flocks till the return of spring, when the males 

 separate, and each chooses some particular spot to which he en- 

 tices a female, who attends entirely to the hatching of the young. 

 They reside principally on the ground during the summer, but in 

 the winter they seek the trees, whereon they chiefly find their food, 

 which consists of seeds and berries of Alpine plants and trees, and 

 the tender shoots of pines, fir, birch, etc. They often visit arable 

 lands in the vicinity of their retreats, and even approach the habi- 

 tations of man during winter, sharing in the food of the poultry. 

 The nest is composed of a few stalks arranged on the ground in 

 marshy places, and concealed by a tuft of tall grass or a low bush. 

 The female deposits from six to ten or fifteen eggs. 



The type of this sub-family is — 



The Black Grouse or Black Cock {Tctrao Tc/rix), still met with in 

 the mountainous districts of the north of England, and pretty abundantly in 



