Zoological Explorations. 267 



Tympaxuchus americanus (Rich.). '■'■ Prairie Hen P A 

 letter just received from Mr. Frank Russell, who is 

 now^ collecting for our museum in that region, speaks of the 

 '■'■ prairie chicken'''' as common around Grand Rapids. He is 

 surely too experienced to mistake his bird, and hence I place 

 the species on the list. I wish, in this connection, to enter a 

 protest, on behalf of western hunters and naturalists, against 

 calling this bird the '■^prairie lien.'''' ^'-Prairie chicken P'' it is 

 throughout the west and north-west United States, and prairie 

 chicken it will be so lon<r as it is hunted, the A. O. U. check- 

 list to the contrary notwithstanding. Pedioccetcs ^hasianellus 

 goes by the name of ^^sharp-tailed grouse^'' and is not the 

 *' prairie chicken," except in the vernacular of the more igno- 

 rant hunters of the north- w^est. 



Pedioc^tes phasianellus (Linn.). Sharf -Tailed Grouse. 

 Abundant near Grand Rapids, especially in a dense tangle 

 above the fort. The large series of young secured by us is 

 interesting as illustrating the color phases between the downy 

 stage and maturity. In the youngest specimens, still retaining 

 the down on the head, the coloration is as follows: Top of 

 head irregularly spotted with black and ochraceous white; 

 throat white; feathers of back black, with white shaft-lines 

 and dusky bars; below, each feather white, with a large dusky 

 spot on each side near tip; rectrices with shaft-lines white, the 

 rest of each feather being blotched with buffy and marked 

 with zigzag black lines. Quills; inner webs dusky, outer 

 webs with broad ochraceous blotches which are confluent 

 along outer edge. 



The next phase is characterized by the bright rufous top of 

 head surrounding a black crown patch; sides of head, throat 

 and fore neck bright ochraceous; auricular spot black. Feath- 

 ers of back with sharp, white shaft-lines and rusty tips, other- 

 wise mainly black. Tail feathers with broad, white shaft-line, 

 bordered by angular blotches of black, tending to form bars 

 which alternate with clear bay bars. 



1 October, 1S92. 



