Harris Birds of the Kansas City Region. 257 



five nests were found inside the southern and western bound- 

 aries. Winter coveys are likely to be found anywhere in the 

 county, in the Missouri bottoms, on the prairie regions or wher- 

 ever there is suitable cover. 



The local migrations of these birds from exposed to more 

 sheltered places, spoken of by Widmann, has once been observed 

 by Bush. He saw a large covey alight in an exhausted condi- 

 tion on the river bank near old Wayne City after having crossed 

 a wide expanse of river. Several of the birds were unable to 

 make the flight and fell into the current. 



An occasional albino is seen and there are several specimens 

 extant. 



Family TETRAONIDAE. Grouse, Spruce Partridges, 

 Ptarmigans, etc. 



BON ASA UMBELLUS UMBELLus (Linn.). Ruffed Grouse. 

 Former resident; now extinct. 



According to Bush, the Ruffed Grouse made its last stand in 

 the wooded hills of the Little Blue in the southeastern part of 

 the county. They were long ago driven out by the settling of 

 the country and only the older sportsmen remember them. 



The specimen preserved by Bryant was taken by him near 

 Independence in 1874. 



TYMPANUCHUS AMERICANUS AMERICANUS (Reichenbach). Prairie 



Chicken. 

 Former resident; probably now extinct in this county. 



A Prairie Chicken seen in the southeastern part of the county 

 in 1915 was probably a straggler from the north, as the bird 

 has not been regularly noted here since late in the nineties. 



It was formerly abundant about the city and as late as 1884 

 resorted regularly in the evenings to a feeding place on what 

 is now known as Hospital Hill. 



Tindall found a nest containing twelve eggs near Independ- 

 ence on May 7, 1891. Three specimens in the Bankers collec- 

 tion were taken prior to 1904. This bird is gone from Jackson 

 County never to return. 



