^°im"'] PKOCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 509 



of each other ; but a further consideration of the physical features of 

 the country has shown the reasonableness of such occurrence, for the 

 togatus birds were taken within the great coniferous forest which is its 

 assigned locality, while the umhelloides exam i)les were taken from 

 the open aspen woods near the northeastern boundary of the dry 

 region that is inhabited by the pale form of umbellus. 



97a. Bonasa umbellus umbelloides. Partridge, or Gray RufFed Grouse. 



Common resident of the poplar woods in the west and south of the 

 province. Specimens sent from Carberry to Mr. Eidgway prove to 

 be of the variety umhelloides ; therefore I assume that all those taken in 

 the open and poplar woods are of this form. 



Winnipeg: Permanent resident; common (Hine). Ossowa: Resident; 

 breeding (Wagner). Specimen from Red River Settlement in Smith- 

 sonian Institution (Blakiston). Portage la Prairie: Abundant; resi- 

 dent in the woods, and frequently found in the blufis on the prairie 

 if they are of any extent (Nash). Heard drumming about Manitoba 

 House, 1881; abundant in woods along Red Deer and Swan Rivers, 

 1881 ; Fort Ellice ; Touchwood Hills and northern woods generally 

 (Macoun). Carberry : Common, and resident in all woods ; noted at 

 south slope of Riding Mountain, Fort Ellice, west slope of Duck 

 Mountain, and Portage la Prairie (Thompson). Qu'Appelle : Com- 

 mon ; permanent resident ; breeds (Guernsey). 



On April 4, 1882, the snow was 3 to 4 feet deep everywhere. Went 

 to the slough with W. Erodie. We saw several Rufi'ed Grouse and 

 we each shot one. 



Bonasa umbellus umbelloides, male ; length 17^, extension 21 inches. 

 The pectinations or points of its snowshoe but about half a dozen on 

 the outside of each outer toe; the middle claw of each foot rubbed 

 down to a mere stump, the others normal ; fine, full, black ruft". The bill 

 presented an unusual feature, for when the mandibles were closed there 

 still remained a wide opening right through the beak, near the tip, 

 just behind the hook ; this had the appearance of having been icorn 

 away, as no doubt it was in process of collecting the browse on which 

 the species feed throughout the winter. Its crop was filled with 

 various kinds of buds. 



Second specimen, female ; length 16^, extension 22. Snowshoes or 

 pectinations on the feet perfect ; ruff' insignificant ; bill normal ; crop 

 full of browse. 



April 10, the snow still deep in the woods, shot a Ruffed Grouse, 

 male ; length 17, extension 22. Tarsi feathered to the toes ; claws 

 blunt; pectinations of toes perfect; tail all graj^ without any brown 

 at all, as also was the general plumage; ruffs very full ; beak with the 

 same remarkable subterminal opening as that already noted on April 4. 



In the spruce bush on December 5, after sundown, as I walked 

 near the camp, I noticed the marks in the snow where two Ruffed 



