BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 107 



SUBFAMILY TETRAONIN.S3. GROUSE. 



GENUS BON AS A STEPHENS. 

 Bonasa umbellus (LiNN.). 



Rutfed Grouse ; Pheasant ; Partridge. 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 65}. 



Head with lengthened crest ; above variously marked with different shades of 

 black, brown, gray and whitish ; lower parts much lighter, white or buff, with 

 many broad bars of black or brown ; long neck-ruffle of male glossy black with 

 violet reflections ; female with neck ruffle smaller and generally more brown. Tail 

 of eighteen long feathers is gray or reddish-brown, with numerous transverse and 

 irregular bars. Length about 18 inches ; extent about 24 ; tail 7. 



Habitat. Eastern United States, south to North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi 

 and Arkansas. 



The Buffed Grouse is known generally throughout Pennsylvania as 

 the Pheasant, but in some parts of the northeastern counties it is usually 

 called "Partridge," a name by which the quail is commonly designated 

 in most parts of this state. The grouse is an abundant resident in the 

 mountains, wooded and thinly populated districts of Pennsylvania. In 

 the northern tier of counties and also in the counties of Lackawanna, 

 Wyoming, Sullivan, Huntingdon, Lycoming, Schuylkill, Clinton, Cen- 

 tre, Elk, Clearneld, Cameron, Westmoreland, Bedford, Perry, Forest 

 and some few more, .large numbers of these well-known game birds are 

 killed every year. The Lehigh Valley railroad will take you to good 

 shooting grounds in Carbon, Luzerne, Wyoming and Bradford counties, 

 and excellent sport can be had shooting grouse in the neighborhood of 

 Scranton and in the vicinity of Montrose, Susquehanna connty, both of 

 which places are reached by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western 

 railroad. The Hudson Canal Company's roads traverse sections of 

 Lackawanna, Wayne and Pike counties, where grouse are reported to 

 be particularly numerous. The Beech Creek railroad and the Northern 

 Central railroad (Elmira and Canandaigua division), as well as the Phil- 

 adelphia and Erie railroad, go through some of the best Pheasant 

 grounds I have ever visited. 



Dr. Coues says: /'The 'drumming' sound for which this bird is 

 noted, is not vocal, as many suppose, but is produced by rapidly beat- 

 ing the wings." During the breeding season and at other times, if not 

 continually harassed by sportsmen, the grouse is tame and unsuspicious. 

 The nest is made on the ground, and consists principally of leaves ; it is 

 always placed in the interior of woods, and is usually concealed by a log 

 or thick bushes. The eggs are a yellowish- white color and number 

 about fifteen. I once found a nest with nine eggs, in which incubation 

 was well advanced. E. A. Samuels, in his entertaining work, " Our 



