gg THE SPOTTED OR CANADA GROUSE. 



Bill and claws brownish-black. Iris hazel. Fringed membrane over the 

 eyes vermilion. Toes purplish-grey. Upper plumage and flanks brownish- 

 black, transversely barred with brownish-grey, the tip of each feather with 

 two bars of the latter colour; on the hind parts the bars are larger, and 

 the pale ones more tinged with brown. Quills and larger coverts blackish- 

 brown, the outer edges of the primaries pale brownish-grey, and those of the 

 secondaries minutely mottled with the same. Tail-coverts brownish-black, 

 minutely mottled and tipped with greyish-white; tail-feathers darker and 

 tipped with dull brownish-red. Lower parts black, the feathers on the 

 throat having a white spot near the end, those of the lower and lateral parts 

 of the neck unspotted, of the breast with a broad subterminal spot, and the 

 under tail-coverts largely tipped with white. Inner wing-coverts clove- 

 brown, the proximal and axillaries tipped with white. 



Length 15f inches, extent of wings 2 if; bill along the back -j-^, along the 

 edge 1 T 2 2; tarsus 1?; weight 17 oz. 



Adult Female. 



The female is not much smaller. The superciliary membrane is much 

 less, but of the same colour. The upper parts are nearly of the same tints, 

 but more broadly barred; the head, sides of the neck, fore neck, and anterior 

 part of the breast yellowish-red, barred with brownish-black; the lower 

 parts greyish-black, barred with reddish-white. The tail is minutely mottled 

 and tipped with brownish-red. The younger females have more of the 

 yellowish-red tints than the old ones. In other respects the colouring is 

 nearly similar. 



Length 15^ inches, extent of wings 21; weight 1503. 



In a male preserved in spirits, the mouth is of the moderate width of 10^ 

 twelfths; the palate flat, with two longitudinal ridges; the posterior aperture 

 of the nares 8 twelfths long, strongly papillate on the edges; the tongue 

 short, being only 7^ twelfths in length, triangular, a little concave above, 

 emarginate at the base, with long pointed papillae, disposed in two series, the 

 tip somewhat obtuse. The oesophagus is 6^- inches in length; its width from 

 10 twelfths to S twelfths for the length of 3£- inches, where it opens into a 

 globular sac 2 inches 9 twelfths in diameter, the space between the upper 

 and lower aperture of which is only 9 twelfths. The stomach is a very large 

 and powerful gizzard, of an irregular elliptical form, 1^ inches in length, 

 2i inches in breadth; the right muscle 9 twelfths, the left 11 twelfths in 

 thickness; the tendons large and radiated; the epithelium tough, horny, with 

 two nearly flat, smooth, grinding surfaces. The intestine is 3 feet 2 inches 

 long, with a nearly uniform width of 3 twelfths. The coeca commence at 

 the distance of 4 inches from the extremity, and are 16^ inches long, their 

 width 3^ twelfths, excepting for 3 inches at the commencement, where it is 



