North American Grouse. 



655 





A PKAIRIK MINI KT. 



much elongated. Then would follow " salute your partners " and 

 " dos a dos." This scene of merriment was sustained for half an 

 hour and until a shot from a neighboring gun caused the birds to 

 run into the tall cover of the reeds. The bright sunshine of autumn 

 and the conspicuous group of native birds impressed the scene vividly 

 on the spectator's mind. A neighboring farmer to whom the circum- 

 stance was mentioned said : 



" Yes, them same birds skye around there mostly every day." 

 The other varieties of prairie grouse indulge in the same kind of 

 amusement 



The pin-tail, or sharp-tail, grouse is a close connection of the 

 prairie-fowl, but without the gular sac; and, like that bird, it inhabits 

 the open prairie land, nesting in the same manner, feeding on the 

 same food, and often found associating with him. Its size is the 

 same, but its color much lighter, and instead of the dark-brown bars 

 on its breast, it carries little spots of a V shape, of a light, ashy 

 brown. Its name is derived from the two middle feathers in its tail 

 extending beyond the others, thus forming a long, pointed tail. 



It is claimed that there are two varieties of the sharp- tail grouse 

 — one in the Arctic north, and one in the central territories of the 



