152 Birds of Colorado 
Distribution.—Western America, from British Columbia to northern 
California, and east to western Colorado. 
Cary identifies a Grouse taken by him in August, 1906, near Hahn’s 
Peak in northern Routt co., with this subspecies, and concludes that all 
the Sharp-tailed Grouse of western and southern Colorado should be 
referred to this form. He noticed the Sharp-tailed Grouse also in San 
Miguel, Dolores, Montezuma and Archuelta counties up to an eleva- 
tion of 9,500 feet, and concluded that they were this subspecies. 
Prairie Sharp-tailed Grouse. 
Pediocetes phasianellus campestris. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 308b—Colorado Records—Allen 72, p. 152; 
Aiken 72, p. 208 ; Morrison 87, p. 58 ; 88, p. 139; 89, p. 182; Ridgway 
87, p. 192; Osburn 93, p. 212; Cooke 97, pp. 71, 159, 203; Gilman 
07, p. 153; Rockwell 08, p. 161; Warren 09, p. 14; Henderson 09, 
p- 228. (Some of these may refer to the other subspecies.) 
Description.—Above tawny, mottled with black, white and reddish 
markings, rather fine except on the scapulars, the white chiefly on the 
wing-coverts ; primaries and their coverts plain brown with white spots, 
chiefly on the outer web; throat buffy, rest of the under-parts white ; 
fore-neck and breast with numerous brown U-shaped spots, extending 
over the flanks to the lesser extent ; four middle tail-feathers like the 
back, mottled tawny and rufous, others chiefly white; iris brown, 
bill and feet horny-brown. Length 18; wing 8-75; tail 3-0, to end 
of longest tail-feather 4-0 ; culmen -6; tarsus 1-75. 
The female is smaller—wing about 8-0. A young bird is rather lighter 
and has white shaft-markings above. 
Distribution.—The prairie region of middle America from Manitoba 
to Texas and New Mexico, east to Winconsin, west to Colorado; pro- 
bably a resident throughout. 
In Colorado this bird is by no means common. It was apparently 
more so in former days, but it is a species which prefers wild country 
and retreats before settlement, and it is now but seldom met with. 
It was chiefly an inhabitant of the prairie country east of the mountains, 
and was abundant formerly about Loveland (Osburn). It is occasion- 
ally met with in the wilder parts of Routt co. There is an example 
in the collection at the Capitolin Denver from Wray, presented October 
19th, 1903, by B. E. Sisson; Aiken observed one near Limon in May, 
1899, and Carter found it breeding in Middle Park at 7,500 feet. 
In south-west Colorado near Fort Lewis both Gilman and Morrison 
state that it is fairly common among the scrub-oaks on the mesas at 
about 7,500 feet, but whether it is the present subspecies or P. p. 
columbianus, the characteristic form of the Great Basin region, is at 
