350 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. [no. 27. 



Suckley, comparing specimens from Great Slave Lake with examples 

 of one of the southern forms, renamed the species Pedioccetes kenni- 

 cottii in 1862, recording specimens from Fort Rae and Big Island. 

 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway describe a specimen from Fort Resolu- 

 tion, 6 and the catalogues of the National Museum show that skins 

 were received also from Fort Simpson, mountains west of Fort Simp- 

 son, Fort Good Hope, and Fort Rae. as well as eggs from the latter 

 place. MacFarlane found the species breeding in the forests on both 

 sides of the Lockhart and upper Anderson rivers, and found a few 

 nests.'' Russell observed it near Prospect Lake, near the headwaters 

 of Yellowknife River, late in July, 1893, and took specimens at Fort 

 Rae October 1 to 7, referring to the bird as rather common there dur- 

 ing the autumnal migration.'* 



Pedioecetes phasianellus columbianus (Orel). Columbian Sharp-tailed 



Grouse. 



This southern form of sharp-tailed grouse was abundant on the 

 road between Edmonton and Athabaska Landing April 29 to May 5. 

 1901. They were found in small companies and when flushed usually 

 alighted on poplars at a little distance away and excitedly resented 

 our intrusion. They were especially abundant in the farming lands 

 near Edmonton. On our return trip several small flocks were seen in 

 the fields near Sturgeon River September 3. 



In 1903 we noted a small flock near Sturgeon River May 12. The 

 crop of a female collected there contained barley (60 per cent), small 

 green leaves, myriapods, ants, and two species of beetles. Another 

 small flock was noted 50 miles north of Edmonton May 14. During 

 their return trip my brother and Cary found this grouse rather com- 

 mon in the open country and cultivated fields between Athabaska 

 Landing and Edmonton September 1 to 26. 



During my trip from Athabaska Landing to Edmonton, Septem- 

 ber 2 to 4, 1904, I observed this bird daily in small numbers. 



J. Alden Loring reported the birds common at Edmonton Sep- 

 tember 7 to 26, 1894. They were found in flocks frequenting the 

 grain fields, plowed land, and edges of thickets. In 1895, while re- 

 turning from the mountains, he saw six individuals at Whitemud, on 

 McLeod River, 135 miles in a direct line west of Edmonton, about 

 the middle of October. Macoun reports that in the summer of 1898 

 Spreadborough (presumably while on his way to the mountains) 

 saw the last birds of this species about 25 miles west of Edmonton. e 



a Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. [XIV], p. 362, 1861. 

 6 Hist. N. A. Birds, Land Birds, III, p. 434, 1874. 

 c Proc. TJ. S. Nat. Mus., XIV, p. 432, 1891. 

 d Expl. in Far North, pp. 76, 2<>1, 1898. 

 e Cat. Canadian Birds, Part I, p. 212, 1900. 



