BONASA UMBELLA : RUFFED GROUSE. 151 



finely barred or vermiculated with black. Feathers of the ruff 

 glossy dark brown or black. Primaries fuscous, marked with 

 whitish on the outer webs. Under parts whitish or pale tawny, 

 variously marked with brown, chiefly in bars, the throat chiefly 

 immaculate ; upper parts intimately blended olive, brown, gray 

 black and white, the general effect being black and white or tawny 

 spots on a reddish-brown ground. Varies interminably in the 

 precise tone and pattern of the markings. Female resembling the 

 male : the ruff less developed and not so intensely colored. 

 Length, 16.00-18.00; extent, about 22.00; wing and tail, each 

 6.00-7.00; tarsus, about 1.75 ; middle toe and claw, about 2.00. 



This fine bird is the most abundant and generously 

 distributed kind of Grouse in New England, inhabiting 

 wooded and swampy portions of our country, without 

 regard to special geographical distribution. In fact, 

 Grouse of this species, in one or another of its several 

 varieties, occur in nearly all the woodland of North 

 America, and are very closely related to the Hazel 

 Grouse of Europe, Bonasa betulina. The characters of 

 any Bonasa^ or " ruffled " Grouse, are so strongly marked 

 that there should be no difficulty in recognizing it, and 

 no confusion with species of Canace, still less with any 

 of the Partridges proper. Whatever the special tone 

 and pattern of coloration of these birds, the soft, silky 

 black frill on the neck, and the amply fan-shaped tail, 

 should be distinctive at a glance. Yet great uncertainty 

 does find its way into the minds of many who have 

 ample means of judging, as to the character of this bird. 

 Much of this is traceable to the vague use of the name 

 " Partridge " to designate birds not only specifically but 

 also generally distinct from one another. Both the 

 Canace canadensis and Bonasa umbella are true Grouse, 

 as witnessed by the feathering of the shank and nos- 

 trils ; but in New England they are both often called 



