TETRAONID^— THE GROUSE, ETC. 11 



The propriety of including this species in the fauna of Illinois, 

 is exceedingly doubtful. Mr. Kennicott gave it in his list of the 

 birds of Cook county, with the remark that it was "sometimes 

 found in the timber along ,Lake Michigan"; but Mr. Nelson 

 thinks that this note' was based "'upon the capture of two 

 specimens, December, 1846, near Racine, [Wisconsin] as noted 

 by Dr. Hoy (Wis, Agr. Rep., 1852)." 



Genus TYMPANUCHUS Glouek. 



Tympanuchus Glogeb, Haudb. Vog. Deutsohl., 1842. Type, Tetrao cupido Linn. 

 Gupidonia Eeich. Av. Syst. Nat. 1850, p. xxix. Same type. 



Gkn. Chae. Tail of eighteen feathers. Short, half the length of wings; the feathers 

 stiffened and more or less graduated. Bare inflatable air-sac of the neck conoealed by a 

 tuft of long, stiff, lanceolate feathers ; an inoonspiouous crest on the vertex. Tarsi feathered 

 only to near the base, the lower joint scutellate. Culmen between the nasal fossae scarcely 

 one third the whole length. 



The genus, so far as known, is entirely peculiar to North 

 America, where thefe are three species, all confined to the eastern 

 water-shed of the United States. The two occurring west of the 

 AUeghanies may be distinguished as follows: 



Common CHABiCTERs. Grdxind-oolor above yellowish brown, tinged with grayish and 

 reddish; beneath white ; whole upper and lower parts variegated with transverse bands,— 

 those beneath regular, broad, sharply defined, and plain grayish brown, or dusky, those 

 above more broken, broader, and deep black. Head buff, with a broad vertical stripe, a, 

 broad one beneath the eye from bill to ears, and a patch on lower side of aurioulars, brown- 

 ish black. 



T. amerioanus. Tarsi olothod with long hair-like feathers, the bare posterior face 

 entirely hidden. Dark bars above, .30 or more in width, deep black; those beneath, about 

 .20 wide, and dark brown. Top of head nearly uniformly blackish; face-stripes dusky- 

 black. Bill, .40 deep, .50 long; wing, 9.00. Hab. Prairies of the Mississippi Valley ; south 

 to Louisiana and eastern Texas, 



T. pallidicinotus. Tarsi clothed with short feathers, the bare posteriow face conspicu- 

 ously exposed. Dajrk bars above Iqss than .20 in width, dark grayish brown; those beneath 

 about .10 wide, and pale grayish brown. Top of head with only a slight spotting of black- 

 ish; face-markings reddish brown. Bill, .35 deep, .55 long, from nostril ; wing, 8.30. Hab. 

 Southwestern prairies (middle and western Texas, etc.). 



Tympanuchus americanus (Reich.) 



PBAiarE HEN. 

 Popular synonyms. Prairie Chicken; Chicken (in prairie districts); Pinnated Grouse. 

 Tetrao cupido Wilb. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 104, pi. 27 inec LlNN.)— NuTT. Man. i, 1832, 662.— 

 AuD. Orn. Biog. il, 1834, 490; v, 1839, 559, pi. 186; Synop. 1839, 204; B. Am. v, 1842. 23. pi. 

 29C. 

 Gupidonia cupido Baibd, B. N. Am. 1838, 628; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 464.— OouES, Key, 

 1872, 234; Check List, 1874, No. 384; 2d ed. 1882, No. 563; B.. N. W.1874, 419.-B. B. & E. 

 Hist. N. Am. B. ill, 1874, 440, pi. 61, flgs. 1. 7.— ElDQW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 477. 

 Gupidonia americanus Eeioh. Syst. Av. 1852, p. xxix. 

 Tympanuchus americanus Emow. Auk, Jan. 1886, 133; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 203.— A. O. 

 V. Check List, 1886, No. 305. 

 Gupidonia pinnata Bbewsteb, Auk, ii, Jan. 1885, 82. 



