GROUSE AND PTARMIGAN. 



405 



a smaller more rufous and buff southern form (P. coluwhianus). Both are 

 characterised by their wedge-shaped tails of eighteen feathers, in which the middle 

 pair is larger than the rest, tlie males not being provided with air-sacs. 



We now come to two genera forming a somewhat different 

 group of grouse, the various members having the lower parts of the 

 legs as well as the toes devoid of feathers. The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) 



Buffed Grouse. 



RUFFED GROUSE. 



of North America extends over a wide range and is subject to climatic variations. 

 This bird is recognised by the frilled ruffles of black feathers on each side of the 

 neck, though in some specimens they vary to dull chestnut. The general colour 

 above is rufous or grey, but every intermediate stage of plumage may be met with. 

 Captain Bendire writes that " the mating-season occasionally commences early in 

 February, but usually about the beginning of March, when the familiar drumming 

 of the male may be frequently heard, though the bird is not often seen. This 

 drumming of the ruffed grouse has been often described, and many different 

 theories have been advanced as to how the sound is produced. It is generally 



