THE CANADIAN GROUSE. 55 



Canachites canadensis, Stejn. P. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 409 

 (1885); Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 69 



(1893). 

 Dendragapus canadensis, Bendire, Life Hist. N. Am. B. p. 51, 

 pi. i, figs. 20-23 (1S92). 



Adult Male. — General colour above black, barred with brown- 

 ish-grey ; upper tail-coverts edged or tipped with grey; the 

 tail with a well-marked terminal rufous band ; chin, throat, and 

 most of under-parts black. Total length, 15*5 inches; wing, 

 6'S ; tail, 4*8; tarsus, 1*4. 



Adult Female. — Maybe distinguished from the male in having 

 the chin and throat rufous, spotted with black ; the neck and 

 chest black, birred with rust-colour, and the rest of the under- 

 parts the same, but tipped with white. Total length, 14*2 

 inches; wing, 68; tail, 4; tarsus, 1*4. 



Range. — This Grouse inhabits the northern parts of North 

 America, ranging westwards to the east side of the Rocky 

 Mountains, eastwards to New England and New York, north- 

 wards to Alaska, and south to Minnesota. 



Habits. — The favourite haunts of this handsome little species 

 are dense thickets and evergreen woods. Its food consists 

 largely of the tender spruce buds and needles, varied in 

 summer with berries of various kinds. The pairing-season 

 commences in the end of April or early in May, the eggs 

 being laid in the latter part of May or beginning of June. 

 Unlike the Capercailzies and Black Grouse, the^e birds are 

 monogamous, and there is good reason to believe that some 

 retain their mates for more than one season, isolated pairs 

 being often found together in the middle of winter. During 

 the breeding-season the male has a peculiar habit of drumming, 

 which has been described as follows : " After strutting back 

 and forth for a few minutes, the male flew straight up as high 

 as the surrounding trees, about fourteen feet; here he remained 

 stationary an instant, and while on suspended wing did the 



