SOOTY GROUSE: 
HIS race of the last species ranges through the 
northern Rocky Mountains from the southern Sierra 
Nevada in California to northern Alaska in the Coast 
Range. Like the Dusky Grouse the present bird 1s a 
mountain dweller and is found at altitudes of 9000 feet, 
descending in winter 6000 or 7000 feet lower. It is much 
darker than the Dusky Grouse and has a narrower band 
on the tail, while the female has a dark rusty wash on the 
upper parts of her plumage. In its habits it does not 
differ from the preceding species and haunts the dense 
spruce and fir forests, taking refuge in the dark foliage of 
the trees and remaining motionless. I have met with this 
bird on the very summit of the mountains in the Coast 
Range, above the forest, and where the only covering 
was stunted trees and small clumps of bushes. I was 
riding along such a place one morning, my horse picking 
his way carefully over the rocks and broken ground and 
winding in and out among the low trees and bushes that 
stood plentifully about, when I saw a covey of about 
eight individuals of this Grouse upon the ground a short 
distance in front of me. Although they saw me and my 
horse very well, and must have heard his iron shoes 
striking the stones long before we came into view, they 
were not at all alarmed but continued to feed, running 
about without the least concern. Dismounting, I ad- 
vanced toward them, when they drew together and 
looked at me in a wondering kind of a way, and one or 
two flew up into a low tree that was near by, but no effort 
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