North American Grouse. 



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THK Gil. I. IE BOY. 



hen, and after a short flight will light on the stony ground, and turn 

 to watch the passer-by. This is the Cock-of-the-plains, or Sage- 

 hen. Some learned folks have given it a curious Latin title ; but as 

 most sportsmen prefer shooting to studying Latin, they will best 

 recognize the homely name the bird is known by in its own country. 

 The color is a light ashy gray, marked by the overlapping feathers 

 of a darker gray. It is the largest of the American grouse, being 

 thirty inches in length, and is distinguishable in plumage by its 

 pheasant-shaped tail of long, pointed feathers. These feathers are 

 spiny and hard in texture, having the appearance of being worn off, 

 and leaving the quill part projecting. This is noticeably so with the 

 tail, the quill of the feather extending beyond the web. If the 

 stranger follows the bird after lighting for the first time, it rises 

 again and takes a free flight beyond some sheltering knoll. If it is 



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