BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 193 



PEDIOECETES PHASIANELLUS KENNICOTTII Snckley 



Mackenzie Sharp-tailed Grouse 



Adult innle. — Much darker and less barred and spotted than P- p. 

 caurus; forehead, crown, occiput, and nape mummy brown to dark sepia ; 

 a narrow whitish loreal-superciUary stripe on each side running posteriorly 

 in a somewhat broken line to the, sides of the nape, the feathers of the 

 forehead, sides of crown, the occiput, and nape narrowly edged and nar- 

 rowly barred with Saccardo's umber; interscapulars dark sepia with 

 hidden, small, incomplete and very sparse whitish shaft marks and with 

 a few tawny-buffy subterrainal spots, the feathers narrowly tipped with 

 tawny-olive; scapulars similar to the interscapulars but much more ex- 

 tensively banded and vermiculated with tawny-olive to buckthorn brown 

 and each feather Avith a conspicuous, large, median, terminal, white 

 elongated spot ; innermost secondaries like the scapulars ; primaries and 

 outer secondaries and upper wing coverts as in P- p. caurus; back, lower 

 back, rump, and upper tail coverts as in P. p. caurus but the dark mummy 

 brown to fuscous areas more extensive and more noticeable, the transverse 

 spots and the tips of cinnamon-buff (a few almost whitish) to tawny- 

 olive narrower; rectrices as in P p. caurus, sides of head, chin, and upper 

 throat as in P. p. caurus but with the dusky markings larger and more 

 abundant ; feathers of the breast dark buffy brown with only narrow white 

 shaft stripes, and fringed with whitish; rest of underparts as in P. p. 

 caurus. The darkening, by abrasion of the pale tips, of the plumage from 

 fresh autumn to worn spring and early summer birds is comparable to 

 that in P p. caurus. 



Adult jemaie. — Similar to the male but with the median rectrices less 

 marbled longitudinally, more barred transversely. 



htvenal. — Similar to that of P. p. caurus but with the dark spots on 

 the breast slightly paler. 



Downy young. — Indistinguishable from that of P. p. caurus. 



Adult male.— Wing 19S-211 (207); tail 118-135 (124.2); culmen 

 from anterior end of nostril 10.8-12.4 (H.S) ; tarsus 41.1-43.7 (42.2) ; 

 middle toe without claw 38.6-40.9 (39.5) ; height of bill at base 12.1- 

 13.5 (12.8 mm.).96 



Adult female.— Wing 193-198 (195.7) ; tail 108-114 (111.7) ; culmen 

 from anterior end of nostril 10.8-11.5 (11.2) ; tarsus 39.9-40.5 (40.3) ; 

 middle toe without claw 37.9-39.6 (38.7); height of bill at base 11.7- 

 12.0 (11.8 mm.). 9^ 



Range. — Northern Mackenzie (Fort Rae, Big Island, Great Slave 

 Lake; to Fort Simpson). 



Type locality. — Fort Rae and Big Island, near Great Slave Lake. 



' Five specimens from Fort Rae and Fort Simpson, Mackenzie. 

 ' Three specimens from Fort Simpson, Mackenzie. 



