3/6 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



and Merriam [Ibid. 6:233]. A southward movement also occurred in 1897 

 when this species was taken on May 15th at Whitby, Ont. [see Ames, Auk, 

 14: 411]. 



Tympanuchus cupido (Linnaeus) 



Heath Hen 



Tetrao cupido Linnaeus. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. 1758. i: 160 



DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 205, fig. 175 

 Tympanuchus cupido A. O. U. Check List. Ed. 2. 1895. P- 306 



iympanii'chus, Gr. rv/i-Travov, Lat. tympanum, membrane, and Gr. t;^«), I have; 

 cttpi'do, Lat., Cupid, the neck tufts being Ukened to Cupid's wings 



Description. Tarsi lightly feathered to the toes; a tuft of from 7 to 10 

 elongated pointed feathers on each side of the neck over the naked mem- 

 brane, which is very distensible, 

 in the mating season being inflated 

 at will until it looks like a small 

 orange ; tail short, of 1 8 stiff feath- 

 ers ; breast meat dark ; upper parts 

 light reddish brown barred with 

 dusky and buff : under parts white 

 broadly barred with brown ; chin, 

 throat, cheeks, and stripe over 

 the eye buffy. 



Length 16 inches; extent 27; 

 wing 8.35-8.6; tail 4. Female 

 smaller ; wing 8 ; darker and rus- 

 tier. 



The Heath hen is the Atlan- 

 tic coast representative of the 

 well known Pinnated grouse or 

 Prairie hen of the western prairies. 

 It formerly inhabited a consider- 

 able portion of the Atlantic States east of the AUeghanies, especially New 

 Jersey, New York and Massachusetts, but is now confined to the island 

 of Martha's Vineyard, where about 300 birds survive, and will undoubt- 

 edly increase under the determined protective measures which have been 

 adopted by the Massachusetts Legislature. It was once common among 



Heath hen. Tympanuchus cupido {Litmaeus). From speci- 

 men in Vassar College Museum, i nat. size 



