TETRAONID.E — Till'] GROUSE. 455 



Mr. J. K. Lord assi;4n.s to tliis species an e.xteiuled {^eojfraphical raiij^e 

 west ol' tliu IJocky ^[(jiiiitains, — tVoiii the liorders of California, thrmigliout 

 Orej,'on and AVasliiugton Territnries, extending higli up on the sloi)es of the 

 I'lOcky Mountains, ])lentiful in all the tiniliered lands between the Cascades 

 and the rocky ruts along the hanks nf the Coliiiuhia, over tlie ridge of tlie 

 Cascades, and down their western sloi)es to Krazer's IJiver, in all the islands 

 of till! Gulf of Georgia, and e\cry\\here on A'ancouver Island to its extreme 

 northern end, and on the niaiidand as far nortli as latitude ijo". The hahits 

 of tliis Grouse arc; ilescril)ed as singularly (irratic, and its ibod as varied in 

 its character. In tiie .s])ring their favorite haunt is in the vicinity of stag- 

 nant pools, or in the brush around a marsh in winch the wild swamp-crab, 

 the black l)irch, and the alder grow. lu sucli places they mate, and during 

 the lireeding-season are said to be very constant and devotoil. During the 

 time of ])airing, and at intervals after tlieir young are hatched, tlie male; pro- 

 duces the .sound known as drumming. Tiic bird is said to sipiat on a log or 

 a I'allen tree, motionless as though it had no life. Suddenly all the feathers 

 apjiear as if reversed, the tail is erected, tlui rulf round its neck stands out 

 stilf and rigid, and the wings droop as if broken. These .slowly vibrati;, and 

 then produce a .sound loud an ' clear, like tiie thrum of a double-bass string. 

 Then the wings move with increased rapidity, and the sound becomes a con- 

 tinuous thn)bl)ing hum. It then suddenl}' ceases, and after a few minutes 

 the same performance is repeated. 



^Ir. Lord also states tliat he has seen the males of this s])ecies fighting 

 furiously during the pairing season. liulhng up their necks, with their 

 heads and I)acks almost in a straight line, and witli wings droppeil, tliey circle 

 round and round each other, .striking and jiecking until tlie vampiished gives 

 in, and the victor nanuits upon a log and proceeds to drum furiously. 



Their nest is comjileted al)out the end of ^lay, and is always placed under 

 a log on tlie ground, or at the foot of a bush. It is eompo.sed of a (|uantity 

 of dead leaves, lineil with dry grasses, bits of moss, and a few feathers. 



Mr. Lord adds that he found at lettst ten nests of this bird in om^ swain]i 

 near the Spokaiui Prairies. Fi'oin ten to fourteen eggs was aliout the average 

 nund)er; they are described as in color of a dirty white, and witliout any 

 sjiots or freckles of a darker shade. The cluckens at once leave the nest 

 and follow their mother, wiio calls them with a clucking sound, in the man- 

 ner of a Hen, covers tliem wiicn resting, and uses all kinds of feints and 

 stratagems to lure an intruder from her young, tiuttering along close to his 

 feet a.s if her wings were entirely disabled, and then, when her chickens have 

 had time to conceal themselves, suddody darting olf. When friglitened, this 

 Grouse rises with a loud rattbng s(jun(! ; but its natural u]iward movement 

 is noiseless. 



After the chickens are old enough, the Hock removes to ojien hillsides 

 •where grass-seed, berries, and insects are in alaiiidance. This Grouse never 

 packs, but remains in liroods. In the fall, before tiaiy liegin to feed on the 



