TETRAOXID.E — THE GROUSE. 425 



eonips (|uite attractive to tlie epicure. The iDvc-iuitcs of this bird arc r>aicl 

 to he deep, soi't, phiiutive, hut luiiiiusical, ami rcseinliUi the wliirrinj,' soumls 

 made by p. rattan, swiiiij;- ra])i(lly and in j(!rks tlirou>,'li tlie air. These notes 

 usually l)()j,nn the first week in March. The y()nn<j; are altle to liy feebly by 

 the first of 'Fuly. ]'>y the last of AiiiL,nist tlun* have attained tiieir full size. 

 In the winter tiiey retire to the to]is of the loftiest firs, where they ])u.ss 

 the season in an almost immovable state of hibernation. IJetween July and 

 winter they may be readily shot. Once rai.sed, tliey invarialily ily to trees. 

 They heed but little the report of a j^un unle.ss they have been wounded. 

 Their tlesh is said to be midway between the color of the Pinnated 

 and the liufl'ed Grouse, ])artakinj,' (jf their ^'ood qualities, but surpassing 

 either. 



The e<,'<fs of this S])ccies are oval in sha])e ; one end is a little more obtuse 

 than the other. Tiie ground is of a i)ale cream-color, and is marked with 

 small rounded sjjots of reddish-brown. These are more numerous and larger 

 towards the larger end. They measure l.'J5 inciies in length and 1.45 in 

 breadth. 



Canax3e obscurus, var. fuliginosus, Ridgway. 



0KE60N DUSKT OB0U8E. 



? Tctrno ohsnirun, NKWisicunv, P. 1!. li. Rcjit. VI, iv, 18.")7, 0:3. — Conr. k SucKr.. 219. — 

 Li)l!l), IV. 1!. A. Inst. IV, 122 (liiitisli Columbia). — I ).\i,i, k IJanm.stkii, Trans. 

 Chicago Ac. I, 18Gi), 287 (Alaska). —Fin.sch, Ab. Xat. Ill, 1872, 61 (Alaska). 



Sp. Cii.vu. Boneatli jilaiii daik pliunlicous, without whitish hnnlcrs to tlio fuather-s 

 except on Hanks and eris.-nm ; whole iieail almost nniloinily plain ihisky-hlaek. Tarsi 

 dark plnmheons. Winur, !>.5(); tail, l.'ti); tarsns, 1.7"); inid<lle too, l.Sil. 



Female (ll,82(i, Chiloweynck Depot, Wa.shiii}i;toii Territory, Anj:. G, 18.')8 ; C. B. 

 Kennerly). Aliove black, broken by transverse mottlings of bright reddi.sh-brown or 

 rul'oiis; the.se eonfnsed posteriorly, Init in Ibrni ol' I'egnlar transverse bars anteriorly. 

 Below <lnsky-phinibeon.s, plain on abiloiuen, witii sagittate spots on jnguluni, and deltoid 

 ones on the (lanks, etc., of reddisii-while. Length, 20.0t) ; wing, 8..'J0 ; tail, G.30. 



AdiiU male (4,5(1-), Ca.seaile Monntains, Dr. Newberry). Above plain fiiliginou.s-black, 

 the mottlings scarcely apparent. No white markings on scapulars ; tail-band deep 

 phnnbeou.s. oidy .(!0 wide, but well defined. 



Yuiiiif/ (11,S27, Chiloweyuek Depot), .^^iniilar to, but much more reddi.li liuiu, ^uu.ig 

 of var. ohsciiriis. 



TIah. Northwest coast region, from Oregon to Sitka. 



A mule (4G,07(I, May, ISfifj; Bisehotr) from .Sitka is nmeh mottled with 

 bright reddish-rusty on 'he dorsal region, and washed with the same on the 

 forehead. (Tail-band .GO of an inch wide). A female (40,(173, .Sei)t., 18GG) 

 from same locality is so strongly washed with dark, almost eastaneous, ferru- 

 ginous as to a])i)ear mostly of this color above, this being very bright on 

 the crown and forehead. 



Habit.s. This race is the more northern and northwestern coast form of 

 vol,. III. 64 



