58 University of California Puhlications in Zoology. [Vol. 7 



hooting habit continued until about the middle of August, but 

 after the middle of July the sound was heard but rarely. The 

 females seem to stay more on the ground, though, of course, 

 if they were in the trees they would be easily overlooked, keeping 

 silent as they do. The males are said also to descend to the 

 ground in the fall. 



A young bird molting into the juvenal plumage was taken on 

 Etolin Island on July 8. On Elitkof Island, in August, several 

 broods of half grown young were seen, sometimes in the woods, 

 and sometimes feeding in the beach grass. They were tame and 

 could hardly be forced to fly. Nine specimens of the sooty 

 grouse were preserved, including three adult males and two adult 

 females (nos. 9787-9791), one young one molting from the natal 

 to the juvenal plumage (no. 9792), and three in juvenal plumage 

 (nos. 9793-9795). 



Canachites franklini (Douglas). Franklin Grouse. 



We did not ourselves meet with this species at any point, and 

 most of the information secured regarding it was derived from 

 various store-keepers, prospectors, and Indians. On Prince of 

 Wales Island we received information from many people in 

 regard to the occurrence of the "spruce grouse," and as 

 Canachites franliini has been recorded from this island by Osgood 

 (1905, p. 70), this is undoubtedly the bird referred to. Hassel- 

 borg occasionally reported finding shed feathers or droppings that 

 probably pertained to this species, but neither of us was fortunate 

 enough to see one of the birds. On Warren Island also similar 

 evidence was found. On Zarembo Island we were told by two 

 prospectors that the spruce grouse occurred, but not the sooty 

 grouse, and Hasselborg saw a hunter carrying one of the former. 



Judging from the information at hand the Franklin grouse 

 occupies an isolated area in southeastern Alaska, as we were 

 not able to learn of its occurrence on any of the islands imme- 

 diately adjacent to the mainland. Of course the evidence is 

 only negative, but this is a point in regard to which I made 

 careful inquiry wherever opportunity offered. I also failed to 

 find any island on which the sooty and the Franklin grouse 

 were both known to occur. The hooting habit of the former 



