184 



GROUSE, rOB-WIIlTES, ETC. 



grayish wavy bars on the upper parts, ami the smulkr liill. For a compariHon 

 of wetcki with rujxxtn's see Auk, ii, 188.0, p. IVl!. 



yt^a/tj/e. — Newf'ouiiilhmd. 



A'est and tz/tjn unknown. 



"According to Mr. Wclcli, those Ptarmigan are nnmerotis in New- 

 foundhind, where they are strictly confinod to the bleak sides and snni- 

 niits of rocky hills and mountains of the interior" (Brewster, /. r.). 



306. Tympanuchus americanus (Rn'rh.). Pkatkik Hen. Ad. 



S. — upper parts liarred witli ru to us and hlaek and spotted wltii rufous; sitles 

 of tlie neek w ith tufts generally eoinposed of ten or more narrow, still'ened 

 hlaek feathers nuirked with butfy and rufous, their ends rotim/eil^ the skin 

 beneath these tufts bare; tail ?•««//(/(//, t'useo us, the inner feutliers somewhat 

 mottled with oeliraeeous-butf, tip white; throat bully; breast and belly 

 white, evenly barred with blaek. A</. 9 .— Similar, but the neek tufts much 

 snuiller and the tail barreil with ochraccous-bulf or rufous. L., IS'OO ; W., 

 y-00; T., 4-UO; H. from N., -52. 



KaiHje. — Prairies of .Mississippi Valley, south to Louisiana, west to north- 

 ern Indian Territory, middle Kansas, Nebraska, and eastern Nortli and South 

 Dakota; eiist to Kentueky, Indiana, northwestern Ohio, southwestern Michi- 

 gan, and southwestern Ontario; north to soutlier!i .Manitoba (Heiidire). 



iVtA'/, on the ground. Kikjk, eleven to fourteen, butfy olive, sometimes finely 

 speckled with brownish, 1-70 x l-'i'). 



"This familiar game bird inhal)its our fertile prairies, seldom fre- 

 quenting the timbered lands except during sleety storms or when the 

 gromid is covered with snow. Its flesh is dark, and it is not very 

 liighly esteemed as a table bird. 



"During the early breeding season they feed largely upon grass- 

 hoppers, crickets, and other forms of insect life, but afterward chiefly 

 upon our cultivated grains, gleaned from the stubble in autumn and 

 the cortiflelds in winter ; they are also fond of tender buds, berries, and 

 fruits. They run about much like our domestic fowls,-but with a more 

 stately carriage. When flushed they rise from the ground with a less 

 whirring sound than the Ruffed Grouse or Bob-white, and their flight 

 is not as swift, but more protracted and with less apparent effort, flap- 

 ping and sailing along, often to the distance of a mile or more. In 

 the fall the birds eollect together and remain in flocks until the warmth 

 of spring quickens their blood and awakes the passions of love; then, 

 as with a view to fairness and the survival of the fittest, they select a 

 smooth open courtship ground (usually called a 'scratching ground'), 

 where the males assemble at tlie early dawn to vie with each other in 

 courage and pompous display, uttering at the same time their love 

 call, a loud booming noise; as soon as this is heard by the hen birds 

 desirous of mating they quietly put in an appearance, squat upon the 



