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The Outer's Book 



some individuals being browner, others 

 grayer, than the average; but this is irre- 

 spective of age, sex, season or locality, does 

 not in the least correspond with the pre- 

 tended geographical distribution of the sub- 

 species togata, which some late grouse- 

 fanciers have sought to establish, and I 

 cannot imagine myself humoring such a 

 whim in the "Key." We have quite enough 

 to do in making out umbelloides to be sub- 

 specifically different." 



Eaton, in the "Birds of New York" (p. 367) 

 states, "This species, like the Screech Owl, 

 exhibits a kind of dichromatism, some 

 specimens having a prevailing rufous, or 

 reddish brown color of the upper parts, 

 especially the tail, and others a prevailing 

 gray, which is not by any means confined 

 to the subspecies togata, but is exhibited by 

 southern birds as well, both types of color 

 often occurring in the same brood." This 

 offsets what Coues had to say about B. u. 

 togata, and properly so. Coues, in giving 

 his description of birds, was only too often 

 influenced by his moods. 



Audubon tells us that the "drumming" of 

 the ruffed grouse is produced as it "beats 

 its sides with its wings in the manner of the 

 domestic cock, but more loudly, and with 

 such rapidity of motion, after a few of the 

 first strokes, as to cause a tremor in the air 

 not unlike the rumbling of distant thunder." 

 I was under the impression that "a tremor" 

 was a vibratory movement, and not a noise 

 of any kind. 



Audubon is much nearer the truth when 

 he states, in regard to the ruffed grouse, that 

 "A remarkable difference of plumage is 

 observed in specimens from the opposite 

 parts of the continent, those from the eastern 

 districts being invariably much greyer, 

 especially on the tail-feathers, than those 

 procured along the Ohio, or in Virginia. 

 These constant differences have tempted 

 some persons to suppose that we have two 

 nearly allied species, instead of one; but 

 after the closest examination of all their 

 parts, as well as of their habits, I never 

 could find anything tending to support this 

 supposition." (Vol. v. p. 81). 



I have already given above the range of 

 B. u. umbellus, and the following are the ranges 

 of the three remaining subspecies as given 

 by the A. 0. U. "Check-List" (1912). 



Bonasa umbellus togata. Canada Ruffed 

 Grouse. "Range : Central Keewatin, south- 

 ern Ungava, and Nova Scotia south to 

 Manitoba, southern Michigan, northern 

 Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, 

 and in the mountains of New York, western 



Massachusetts, and northern Connecticut; 

 birds indistinguishable from the eastern 

 form occur from east central British Colum- 

 bia south to eastern Oregon and central 

 Idaho. 



Bonasa umbellus umbelloides. Gray Ruffed 

 Grouse. "Range: Norton Sound, Alaska, 

 east to central Yukon and west central 

 Mackensie, and south to northern Utah, 

 northern Colorado, and western South 

 Dakota." 



Bonasa umbellus sabini. Oregon Ruffed 

 Grouse. "Range: Coast ranges from south- 

 ern Alaska to Humboldt County, Cali- 

 fornia." 



It must be remembered and distinctly 

 understood that these three subspecies, at 

 their limited boundaries of their several 

 ranges, by insensible degrees shade into 

 each other, which statement includes B. 

 umbellus umbellus. On this point Eaton 

 remarks, "It is impossible to draw definitely 

 the boundary between the ruffed grouse proper 

 (umbellus') and the Canadian ruffed grouse 

 (tagota), as there is a continual gradation 

 from the birds of southern New York to 

 those of the Adirondack forests, which are 

 certainly of the subspecies togata. Birds from 

 the highlands of eastern and western New 

 York are intermediate between the two" 

 ("Birds of New York," p. 367). (See Fig. 9). 



Ruffed grouse from the Adirondacks are 

 typical of the Canada ruffed grouse (B. u. 

 togata) and they are of the same size as 

 umbellus. They are much darker in color, 

 particularly is it to be noticed that the 

 transverse barring of the parts beneath are 

 so. These markings are dusky across the 

 breast, passing to black as we pass over the 

 flanks on either side. All the edgings of 

 the feathers in these localities are black or 

 blackish. Above, the bird inclines to be 

 grayish, the upper part of the tail being, in 

 fact, a clear gray color. 



Coues, in describing the plumage of the 

 gray ruffed grouse (B. u. umbelloides) says 

 of the male bird, "Lower back, rump, upper 

 tail-coverts and tail slate-gray, with little 

 if any brown tinge; the feathers of the back 

 and rump with light gray cordate or arrow- 

 headed spots, narrowly bordered with black; 

 tail-feathers finely vermiculated with black, 

 and with a broad, subterminal black zone. 

 Ruffle glossy greenish-black. Under parts 

 whitish, more or less tinged with tawny-brown, 

 with several broad brown cross-bars on each 

 feather, largest and most distinct on long 

 feathers of sides, some of -which have also 

 white shaft -lines; heavy feathers of flanks 

 and vent mostly whitish, unmarked. Feath- 



