PINNATED GROUSE 223 
wings. In twelve or fifteen encounters, only three or 
four times did they strike thus, and only once did we 
see ‘feathers fly.’ Most of the energy seems to be 
spent in posturing and blowing. Generally, one of the 
combatants backs slowly away, suddenly stopping if 
the opponent advances too rapidly. In all these fight- 
ing tactics the similarity of habits with those of the 
domestic fowl were very marked. From all directions 
came the peculiar foot, like distant tugboats in a fog, 
all having whistles of the same pitch. This call may 
be well imitated by blowing gently into the neck of a 
two-drachm homeopathic vial. Each call extends over 
a period of two seconds, and is repeated at frequent 
intervals. It is prefaced by a run of about one yard, 
with very rapid, mincing steps. The strides, however, 
are so short that the bird does not advance rapidly. 
The tail is spread and the wings dropped after the 
manner of the strutting turkey-cock. When the tail 
is spread, the white under-tail coverts are conspicuous 
and remind one forcibly of the ‘white flag’ of the deer 
and antelope, or of our gray rabbit. The head is then 
depressed and the neck outstretched forward, until it 
is parallel with the surface of the ground; the neck 
tufts are elevated to a V shape. The bright, orange- 
colored air-sacs on each side of the neck, directly be- 
hind the tufts of feathers, are slowly inflated until 
they reach apparently the size of a tennis ball, when 
they appear like two small ripe oranges, one protruding 
from either side of the neck. The duration of the call 
appears to closely coincide with the period of infla- 
