1921 BIRDS OF MONTANA S7 



96. Canachites franklini (Douglas) 



Franklin Grouse 



A common pei-maiicnt i-csideiit of the mountains of tho wi'stcrn |iart of tlir 

 state,' ranging east to tiie eas1i'i-ii .slopes of the continental divide. The eastern- 

 most boundaries of its range are marked liy the following records: St. .Mary's 

 Lake (Baird, 1858, p. (124 ) : P.elt .Mountains I Williams, lSS2a, p. (11); Teton 

 and northern Lewis and Clai-k counties, on headwaters of Sun River (Saunders. 

 lOl-ta, p. 131) ; Jefferson and Silver How comities east to the divide (Saunders, 

 1912a, p. 24) ; and Big Hole Hnsin (Forrest, 1914. p. Iil4). 



This bird is almost universally known in .Montana as "fool hen". (See fig. 

 14.) Fnlike the <lusky grouse, it shows no migi'atiu-y movement up oi- down tin' 

 mountain slopes, but remains in the dense spruc<' and arbor-vitae fori'sts ol' the 

 Canadian zone throughout the year. Theie ai'i no data on the nesting of this 

 bird in Montana, The nesting probably takes place in .Inne. \'(>r hall'-'irown 

 young are to be seen in July. 



97. Bonasa umbellus togata (Linnaeus) 



Caxaiia K*rFi''i:D Groi'se 



A eonuuon permanent resident in all mountain ranges of the state, in the 

 pine hills of the eastern part, and in the lower foothills. The easteriunosi rec- 

 ords are as follows: Big IIoi'u .Mountains (Mcf'hesney, ISTll. [>. 2:'.ir2) ; l<'ergus 

 County (f^illoway, l!H):-!a, p. 24): and jjong I'ine Kills, Carter County (\'isher. 

 1911, p. 10). All observers in the mountains west of these points ha\'e rei'orded 

 this .speeies. 



The nesting t;d\es jJace in June, oi' |)erha,]is liegins in late May. The oidy 

 definite dates given are June 7, If), ;ind IC. 1902, at Flathead Lake. The eggs 

 on the Ia,st date were ready to hatch (Silloway, ll)(t:!b, p. 297). This species 

 inhal)its the Transition and lower Can<-idian zones, being more abmulant in thi' 

 Transition. It is found in mi.xed thickets of willow, alder, eottomvood and 

 spruce, along the beds of the lower mountain streams. 



98. Bonasa umbellus umbelloides (Douglas) 



Gr.v'i' Hi'kked Groi'se 



This sulispecies has been attributeil to .Montana by many writers. In fad 

 most of the records cited ivbove are foi- this form rather than Imjiilii. .\fter ti-y- 

 ing in vain to work out the ranges of two subspecies in the state, and examinini;- 

 as many specimens as possible, 1 lia\'e come to the eonelusion that the two hirds 

 range together over the greater jiart of the state, and that what is written above 

 under togata can apply equally as well to iniihi llnidis. In regions where collect- 

 ing has been done, and specimens carefully detei-mined, the ma.jority of the 

 birds belong to totjata. If iniilnlldi'li s ah\ays has a gray tail, as the desei'ip- 

 tions state, then togata ranges cvei-y where in the state that I have been. .Montana 

 specimens which I have examined, determined to belong to both forms, do not 

 show enough difference to warrant subspeeific distinction as far as this state is 



