THE RUFFED GROUSE 17 



The species is not strictly migratory, though 

 in the northern parts of its range it moves 

 southward at times with the severest weather, 

 and may change its haunts at any time from 

 natural causes, so that a locality may be very 

 sparsely populated with grouse at one season 

 only to swarm with them the next. 



In the different portions of their range these 

 birds vary in their coloring, the bird of Oregon 

 and neighboring States being in the most highly 

 developed specimens a deep chestnut with warm 

 reddish shades in his plumage, and the barrings 

 on the flanks and under parts much heavier 

 than in the typical bird. This variety is Bon- 

 asa umhellus sdbinii in the scientists' list. The 

 Rocky Mountains have another variety, whose 

 range is from Alaska, in the Yukon vallej^, 

 southward to Colorado ; a race of paler coloring 

 and somewhat smaller size. The body color is 

 made up of grayish tones and has very little of 

 chestnut or reddish shades in the markings. 

 From its color scheme this is often called the 

 Gray Ruffed Grouse, Bonasa umhellus umbel- 

 loides. In the intermediate districts they grade 

 imperceptibly one into the other. In the grouse 

 of Maine we find a wide variation in color. 



