BIRDS — TETRAONIDAE — CUPIDONIA. 



627 



feathers of the sides of the belly have concealed marks of the same character. The feathers on 

 the back are blackish brown, variously spotted with brownish yellow, without any decided indi- 

 cation of transverse bars. A usual marking towards the tip of the feathers is an undulating 

 transverse yellowish bar, two opposite U-shaped brown bars, the convexities resting on the shaft 

 and more or less confluent, the spaces between these and the tips of the feathers whitish. The 

 wings are brownish grey, the coverts all with lar*ge spots of white ; both webs of the second- 

 aries with conspicuous transverse bars, the outer webs of the primaries with spots of the same. 

 The sides of the head and beneath are brownish yellow with a whitish superciliary band ; there is a 

 curved dusky line below the eye parallel with the orbits, and a dusky spot below this. The tail 

 feathers are dotted brownish grey, becoming pure white externally and to the tip. The central 

 elongated feathers (or coverts) are like the back. 



Specimens vary in the amount of black on the back, and in the extent of brownish yellow on 

 the flanks. 



This species differs totally from the T. cwpido in the V-shaped marks on the breast and sides, 

 instead of transverse bands ; the pure white belly ; the transverse white bands on the second- 

 aries ; the white spots on the wings ; the lighter quills, and tail, independently of the more 

 pointed tail, more feathered tarsi, absence of pointed feathers of the neck, stouter bill, &c. 



The tibial feathers are soiled white. 



CUPIDONIA, Reichenbach. 



Cfwpidonia, Reichehbach, Ay. Syst. Nat. 1850, p. xxix. Type Tetrao cvpido, L. 

 Ch. — Tail short, half the lengthened wings ; the feathers stifiened and more or less graduated. Bare space of the neck 

 concealed by a tntl; of lanceolate feathers. Tarsi feathered only to near the base, the lower joint scutellate. Culmen between 

 the nasal fossae scarcely one-third the total length. 



This genus, as far as known, is entirely peculiar to North America. Its single species, O. 

 cujpido, is the well known prairie chicken, or prairie hen, of the west, a bird in its abundance 

 and importance as an article of food representing, in the prairies of the United States, the 

 ptarmigan or snow grouse of the north. 



Comparative measurements. 



