160 FRANK SCHLEY'S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING. 



abundant throughout the barren arid plains of the Colum- 

 bia and in Northern California, but were not met with east 

 of the Rocky Mountains. 



Dr. Newberry regards this Grouse, when in full plumage, 

 as rather a handsome bird, and much better looking than 

 any figure he has seen of it. It is much the largest of 

 American Grouse, weighing from five to six pounds. The 

 female is much smaller than the male, and is of a uniform 

 sober-brown color. The male bird has a distinctive char- 

 acter in the spaces of bare orange-colored skin which oc- 

 cupy the sides of the neck, and are usually concealed by 

 the feathers, but may be inflated to a great size. The spe- 

 cies was not found in the Valleys of California, but belongs 

 both to the fauna of the interior basin and to that of the 

 Rocky Mountains, the dry desert country lying on both 

 flanks of this chain. He first found it high up on Pit 

 River, and once came suddenly upon a male in an oasis 

 near a warm spring, which started up with a great flutter 

 and rush, and, uttering a hoarse hek-hek, flew oif with an 

 irregular but remarkably well-sustained flight, which was 

 continued until the bird was out of sight. In searching 

 around he soon found its mate, which rose from under a 

 sage-bush with a noise like a whirlwind. This specimen 

 was secured, and these birds were afterwards found to be 

 quite abundant, but very strong-winged and difficult to 

 kill. It was no uncommon thing, Dr. Kennerly states, for 

 him to pour a full charge of shot into them at a short 

 distance, dislodging a quantity of feathers, and yet to have 

 them fly off to so great a distance before they dropped that 

 he could not follow them. He found them only in the vi- 

 cinity of the sage-bushes, under which they were usually 

 concealed. He afterwards saw them very abundant on 

 the shores of Wright and Rhett Lake. In one instance 

 he observed a male bird to sink down on the ground, as the 

 train approached, depressing its head, and lying as motion- 

 less as a stick, which it greatly rwsembled. As he moved 

 towards it, the bird lowered its head until it rested on the 

 ground, and made itself as small as possible, and did not 



