420 NOUTH AMKKR'AN JllKDS. 



stated ly Iiiclmnlsnii to iiiluiliit tlio valleys nl' ilic itocky IVrountrtiiiH, from 

 tlu) scturci's of tlio Missciiri to tliosi' of tlm ■UiK'kt'iizio ; aiitl on tlit- iiiitlioiity 

 of Mr. Douylas, it in also to lie seen spariiij;ly oil the oliivated iilatforiiis 

 that skirt tlio snowy jieaks of Mount iI(»o(l, Mount St. Hcloiis, an. of Mount 

 IJukur, wlii'rc it is .said to run over tliu slmttored rocks and aiuonj,' the bni.sli- 

 wood with ania/in,n spcH'd, only usinjj; its wiiij,'s as a last (ilfort to cscapo. 

 Mr. Douglas al.so s U-s that it makes its nest on the grouml, of dried leaves 

 antl grass, not unfrequently at tiio foot of decayed stumps, or l>y the siile of 

 fallen tindier in tht; mountain wood.s. The eggs are incorrectly dcscrihcd as 

 of a dingy whiteness and as smaller than those of the Kuropean VohnnJia 

 jifi/iniiliHH. 



J)r. Suckley found this Grouse abundant in the Iiocky as well as in the 

 iUttcrroot and the Cascade Mountains, and in Washington Territory, near 

 the Yakima Passes. It is known to the Indians as the Ti/ci-hitll«-kiilla, 

 meaning tiie t/iiitlrmon-hinf. It was only 'ound plentiful in the eastern 

 portion of Washington Territory. Specimens of this species, sent by Dr. 

 Suckley to tiie Smithsonian In.stitution, were procured by Mullan in St. 

 JMary's Valley, in the Ifocky ilountains. They were (juite common in that 

 region, and were readily obtainable, as they were very tamo and unsusiacious. 

 Mr. George Gibbs informed Dr. Suckley that in November, 1847, ho obtained 

 in the Willamette Valley a small (house that may probably be referred to 

 this species. 



]\Ir. Lord thinks thot this species is rarely found west of the Cascades ; but 

 on the eastern side and along the whole district lying between the Cascades 

 and the Itocky Mountains it is coii,.iion, always keeping among the m(nm- 

 tains, to the height of .seven thousand feet. He regards them as one of the 

 most stupid of birds. When sevcnd are Hu.shed together, they tly u]) into 

 the nearest ]iine-tree, from which you cannot frighten them with sticks and 

 stones. He has often shot several in a tree where there were others without 

 the latter attem])ting to Hy away. During the winter they remain in the 

 deej) woods and .sheltered ])lace.s, and feed on the buds of the pines. They 

 nest in early ^Fay, and have chickens in Jtine and July. He was of the 

 ojjinion that these l)irds do not pair ; but from the large number of females, 

 as comjjared with the males, he thinks they are polygamists. 



Cajjtain Blakiston considers this variety to be confined to the Rocky 

 Mountains and the country between that range and the Pacific. He met 

 Mith it for the first time while following an Indian trail through a thick pine 

 wood.s, from the summit of the Kootenay I'ass into the valley of the Flathead 

 River. The bird arose and perched itself on a projecting branch, when he 

 was at once struck with the dissimilarity to the Canada Grouse, which was 

 made still more apparent by the whiteness of its flesh. Afterwards he 

 procured other specimens. He describes them as being quite as unsuspicious 

 and stupid as the Canada Grouse, allowing themselves to be shot on the 

 trees without making any attempt to escape. 



