230 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE. 
resembles the Sharp-tailed Grouse in a general way, but the latter lacks 
the neck tufts, has the middle tail-feathers decidedly longer than the rest 
(about an inch), and the breast spotted with V-shaped black marks instead 
of barred regularly with black and white. 
Distribution.—Prairies of the Mississippi Valley; south to Louisiana 
and Texas, east to Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario; 
west through eastern portions of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, 
Kansas, and Indian Territory; north to Manitoba; general tendency to 
extension of range westward and contraction eastward; migration north 
and south in Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri. 
Formerly the Prairie Chicken seems to have been abundant over a large 
part of the southern half of the state, and if it were afforded good protection 
from the so-called sports- 
men during the fall no 
doubt it would still be a 
common bird. It is well 
known that this species 
is not necessarily driven 
out by civilization, in 
fact up to a certain point 
it increases in numbers 
with the cultivation of 
the country. It prefers 
prairie lands and ordi- 
narily nests in such 
ground, and of course 
when all suitable nesting 
places are destroyed by 
plowing the bird cannot 
be expected to remain. Fig. 63. Prairie Chicken, 
However, there are large From photograph of mounted specimen. (Original.) 
tracts of undrained or 
poorly drained open country in southern Michigan in which the Prairie 
Chickens have nested in considerable numbers until within a very few 
years, and doubtless in most counties south of the Saginaw Valley at 
least a few pairs linger yet. 
The species was common in Ingham county, near the college, 
until 1898 or 1899, but apparently none have nested in the old haunts 
since 1900. I am informed, however, that there are still (1911) 
some in the southeastern part of{the county. Mr. John Hazelwood, of 
Port Huron, writes: ‘I saw a flock of thirteen, at four different times, 
quite close to Capac, St. Clair county, in 1899.” In 1876 they were 
abundant in parts of Washtenaw county, and a few were still found about 
Brighton in 1886. Then apparently they became extinct there for many 
years, but reappeared in 1908 and now seem to be on the increase in Wash- 
tenaw county (N. A. Wood, Auk, XXVII, 1910, 131). Some are still 
found in southern Jackson county (Watkins, 1906), and Hon. Chas. H. 
Chapman, then State Game and Fish Warden, sent me reports from one 
of his deputies who had found Prairie Chickens in some numbers in 
parts of Eaton and Calhoun counties in November, 1906. We also have 
recent reports of their presence in some numbers at several different places 
in Kalamazoo county. A nest of twelve eggs was taken in Kalamazoo 
county June 5, 1892 (Westnedge). At Petersburg, Monroe county, Jerome 
