134 PRANK Schley's partridge and pheasant shootinq. 



COLUMBIA SHARP-TAIL GROUSE. 

 Pedicecetes phasianellus, Var, columbianus. — Baibd. 



|P. CHAR. — Prevailing colors yellowish-brown and 



white ; ground-color of head and neck deep buff. 



"^^^ Upper parts varigated with transverse spots of 



W^ black, and more or less tinged with rusty ; scapulars 

 without longitudinal spots of white, wing-coverts and outer 

 webs of primaries with large conspicuous spots of pure 

 white, the former roundish, the latter more quadrate. 

 Breast and sides with V-shaped markings of pale yellow- 

 ish brown, bordered with dusky. Throat immaculate, or 

 only minutely speckled; feathers of tarsus short, the toes 

 completely bare. No appreciable difference between the 

 sexes. 



Male (22,011, Simiahmoo, Washington Territory; Dr. 

 Kennerl}^) Wing, 8, 00 ; tail, 4, 40, two middle feathers 

 one inch longer. 



Female (19,173, Rose Briar Creek ; F. V. Hayden.) Wing. 

 8, 80; tail, 4, 00. 



Hab. — Plains and prairies of the United States, from Il- 

 linois and Wisconsin, West to Oregon, Nevada, etc.; South 

 to Colorado, New Mexico, etc. — "-North American Birds.'' — 

 Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, Vol. III. 



Habits. — The description of the habits of this Grouse, is 

 as described in the North American Birds, b}- Baird, Brewer 

 and Ridgway. They state: "This species is the more 

 Southern of the two varieties of Sharp-Tailed Grouse found 

 in North America. Owing to the confusion which has ex- 

 isted until recently, in which both the Northern and South- 

 ern races have been considered as one, the geographical 

 distribution of each maj' not be dpfined with complete ex- 



