FRANKLIN'S GROUSE. 

 Canachites franklini. 



Extremely similar to the foregoing, but with the 

 tail black to the end, or bordered with white; its cov- 

 erts white-tipped. The female has the tail feathers 

 tipped with white and the upper tail coverts streaked 

 with white, as also have the full-grown young of both 

 sexes which have not yet assumed the plumage of 

 the adult. It is slightly larger than the Canada grouse : 

 length, over 15 inches; wing, 7^ inches; tail, 5 inches 

 or over. 



Franklin's grouse is found in southern Alaska, cen- 

 tral British Columbia and west central Alberta, south 

 to western Montana, central Idaho and northern 

 Oregon east of the coast range. At many points in 

 northwestern Montana, northern and central Idaho it 

 is abundant. It is the bird commonly called "fool hen" 

 in the western mountains, though this, after all, is a 

 general term applied to any grouse or quail that has 

 not yet learned that man is an enemy to be dreaded. 



The differences in plumage between Franklin's 

 grouse and the Canada grouse are so slight that they 

 are not likely to be noticed by the average gunner, 

 though at once obvious to the ornithologist. So far 



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