62 THE SAGE COCK. 



structure has crumbled away with the race of its Titanic 

 builders. It is these regions especially which have given the 

 mighty range the appropriate name of the Rocky Mountains: 



THE SAGE COCK. 



In some spots, the limitless wastes are covered by a scrubby 

 plant known as mountain sage. It rises from a tough gnarled 

 root in a number of spiral shoots, which finally form a single 

 trunk, varying in circumference from six inches to two feet. 

 The leaves are gray, with a strong offensive smell resembling 

 true sage. In other places there appear mixed with it the 

 e(][ually scrubby but somewhat gTeener grease-wood — the two 

 resinous shrubs affording the only fuel on which the emigTant 

 can rely while following the Rocky Mountain trail. 



These sage reoions are the habitation of a maonificent bird 

 — the Sage Cock. He may well be called the King of the 

 grouse tribe. When stalking erect through the sage, he looks 

 as large as a good-sized wild turkey — his average length being, 

 indeed, about thii'ty-two inches, and that of the hen two 

 feet. They differ somewhat, according to the season of the 

 year. The prevailing colour is that of a yellowish-brown or 

 warm gray, mottled with darker brown, shading from cinna- 

 mon to jet black. The dark spots are laid on in a longi- 

 tudinal series of crescents. The under parts are a light gTay, 

 sometimes almost pure white, barred with streaks of brown, 

 or pied with black patches. In the elegance of his figure 

 and fineness of his outlines he vies with the golden pheasant. 

 His tail differs from that of the grouse family in general by 

 coming to a point instead of opening like a fan. On each 

 side of his neck he has a bare orange-coloured spot, and near 

 it a downy epaulet. His call is a rapid ''Cut, cut, cut!" 



