150 NESTS AND EGGS OF 



The eggs are light clay to a dark rusty-brown, uniformly speckled 

 with fine dottings of darker brown ; from six to twelve in number ; 

 average size i.yox 1.25. 



3083. Pediocaetes phasianellus campestris RIDGW. 



Prairie Sharp-tailed Grouse. 



Hab. Plains and prairies of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, south to eastern New 

 Mexico. 



Another variety of the Sharp-tailed Grouse, inhabiting the great 

 plains of the United States east to Wisconsin and northern Illinois, 

 west to eastern Colorado and south to eastern New Mexico. The 

 ground color of the plumage in this bird is more rusty, or ochraceous, 

 than in P. p. columbianus, that of the latter species being buffy-grayish 

 or pale grayish-clay color above, with little or no rusty tinge. Profes- 

 sor Ridgway gives the average measurements of the eggs as i.66x 



1.23. 



309. Centrocercus urophasianus (BONAP.) [479-] 



Sage Grouse. 



Hab. Sage-bush plains of the Rocky Mountain plateau, north into British America, south to New 

 Mexico, Nevada, Eastern California and Washington Territory. 



The Sage Cock, Sage Grouse, Sage Hen, or Cock of the Plains, as 

 it is variously called in the west, is principally found in what are 

 known as the sage-bush regions of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, 

 Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, eastern California and other 

 western States and Territories, where the march of civilization has 

 not exterminated their favorite food, the leaves of the wild sage-bush, 

 which cover large tracts of western country. This is the natural 

 home of the bird. It is the largest of American grouse. The color 

 of the bird is so nearly like that of the ground and sage-bush that it is 

 difficult to detect its presence. In summer their food is sage leaves, 

 berries and insects, but their sole food in winter seems to be sage 

 leaves. The male is a little larger than the female ; their weight is 

 about ten pounds, and that of the female seven, live weight. They 

 roam everywhere in winter in large flocks, the snow quenching their 

 thirst instead of the water of the streams which supply them in the 

 summer, and along which they scatter in small bands at this season. 

 The males flock together during the season of incubation ; the 

 females always remaining by themselves to rear their young. 



Mr. G. G. Mead states that the eggs in Wyoming are deposited 

 about the i5th of May. W. S. Rougis reports them in the same Ter- 

 ritory as being laid as early as the latter part of April or in May, and 

 that the nests are mere hollows scratched in the ground under sage- 

 bushes. Mr. Rougis found the nest complement to vary from ten to 



