﻿376 
  

  

  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  and 
  Merriam 
  [Ibid. 
  6:233]. 
  A 
  southward 
  movement 
  also 
  occurred 
  in 
  1897 
  

   when 
  this 
  species 
  was 
  taken 
  on 
  May 
  15th 
  at 
  Whitb)', 
  Ont. 
  [see 
  Ames, 
  Auk 
  

   14: 
  411]. 
  

  

  Tympanuchus 
  cupido 
  (Linnaeus) 
  

  

  Heath 
  Hen 
  

  

  Tetrao 
  cupido 
  Linnaeus. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  Ed. 
  10. 
  1758. 
  1:160 
  

  

  DeKay- 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  205, 
  fig. 
  175 
  

   Tympanuchus 
  cupido 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  P- 
  306 
  

  

  tympanu' 
  chtis 
  , 
  Gr. 
  rv/xTravov, 
  Lat. 
  tympanum, 
  membrane, 
  and 
  Gr. 
  ix'^< 
  I 
  have; 
  

   cupi'do, 
  Lat., 
  Cupid, 
  the 
  neck 
  tufts 
  being 
  hkened 
  to 
  Cupid's 
  wings 
  

  

  Description. 
  Tarsi 
  lightly 
  feathered 
  to 
  the 
  toes; 
  a 
  tuft 
  of 
  from 
  7 
  to 
  10 
  

   elongated 
  pointed 
  feathers 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  neck 
  over 
  the 
  naked 
  mem- 
  

   brane, 
  which 
  is 
  very 
  distensible, 
  

   in 
  the 
  mating 
  season 
  being 
  inflated 
  

   at 
  will 
  until 
  it 
  looks 
  like 
  a 
  small 
  

   orange 
  ; 
  tail 
  short, 
  of 
  1 
  8 
  stiff 
  feath- 
  

   ers 
  ; 
  breast 
  meat 
  dark 
  ; 
  upper 
  parts 
  

   light 
  reddish 
  brown 
  barred 
  with 
  

   dusky 
  and 
  buff 
  : 
  under 
  parts 
  white 
  

   broadly 
  barred 
  with 
  brown 
  ; 
  chin, 
  

   throat, 
  cheeks, 
  and 
  stripe 
  over 
  

   the 
  eye 
  buff}' 
  . 
  

  

  Length 
  16 
  inches; 
  extent 
  27; 
  

   wing 
  8.35-8.6; 
  tail 
  4. 
  Female 
  

   smaller 
  ; 
  wing 
  8 
  ; 
  darker 
  and 
  rus- 
  

   tier. 
  

  

  The 
  Heath 
  hen 
  is 
  the 
  Atlan- 
  

   tic 
  coast 
  representative 
  of 
  the 
  

   well 
  known 
  Pinnated 
  grouse 
  or 
  

   Prairie 
  hen 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  prairies. 
  

   It 
  formerly 
  inhabited 
  a 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  States 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  AUeghanies, 
  especially 
  New 
  

   Jersey, 
  New^ 
  York 
  and 
  Massachusetts, 
  but 
  is 
  now 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  island 
  

   of 
  Martha's 
  Vineyard, 
  where 
  about 
  300 
  birds 
  survive, 
  and 
  w^ill 
  undoubt- 
  

   edly 
  increase 
  under 
  the 
  determined 
  protective 
  measures 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  

   adopted 
  by 
  the 
  Massachusetts 
  Legislature. 
  It 
  was 
  once 
  common 
  among 
  

  

  , 
  ^ 
  

  

  i 
  

  

  r 
  

  

  

  "^ 
  

  

  

  '1 
  

  

  J 
  

  

  i 
  

  

  '■■'.J 
  

  

  

  

  ":#^ 
  

  

  i* 
  

  

  __^i^ 
  

  

  i^^^iH^v 
  " 
  

  

  

  S2^- 
  - 
  --- 
  

  

  

  t' 
  

  

  c^^ 
  

  

  ^'^ 
  

  

  Heath 
  hen. 
  Tympanuchus 
  cupido 
  (Limaaeus). 
  From 
  spec 
  

   men 
  in 
  Vassar 
  College 
  Museum. 
  5 
  nat. 
  size 
  

  

  