﻿8 
  GKOUSE 
  AND 
  WILD 
  TURKEYS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  sage 
  cock 
  of 
  the 
  sagebrush 
  deserts 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Basin, 
  a 
  fine 
  bird, 
  

   nearly 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  a 
  turkey. 
  

  

  Next 
  are 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  forested 
  regions. 
  The 
  most 
  notable 
  

   of 
  these, 
  the 
  well-known 
  ruffed 
  grouse, 
  occurs 
  in 
  wooded 
  areas 
  all 
  

   through 
  the 
  eastern 
  and 
  northern 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  from 
  Maine 
  to 
  

   northern 
  California, 
  and 
  north 
  to 
  Alaska. 
  Within 
  this 
  wide 
  range 
  

   it 
  varies 
  sufficiently 
  in 
  color 
  to 
  be 
  separable 
  into 
  four 
  forms. 
  The 
  

   Canada 
  grouse, 
  which 
  also 
  has 
  been 
  separated 
  into 
  several 
  local 
  

   forms, 
  has 
  nearly 
  the 
  same 
  range 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  as 
  the 
  ruffed 
  grouse, 
  

   but 
  does 
  not 
  extend 
  so 
  far 
  south. 
  The 
  Franklin 
  grouse, 
  closely 
  related 
  

   to 
  the 
  spruce 
  grouse, 
  occurs 
  only 
  from 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  west, 
  and 
  

   north 
  to 
  Alaska. 
  The 
  blue, 
  or 
  dusky, 
  grouse, 
  called 
  c 
  fool-hen 
  ' 
  in 
  the 
  

   Rocky 
  Mountains, 
  also 
  varies 
  in 
  color 
  in 
  parts 
  of 
  its 
  range 
  so 
  that 
  

   it 
  has 
  been 
  divided 
  into 
  several 
  not 
  strikingly 
  different 
  local 
  forms. 
  

   It 
  is 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  the 
  forest-loving 
  species 
  and 
  is 
  found 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  

   wooded 
  mountain 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  West, 
  from 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  and 
  

   Sierra 
  Nevada 
  north 
  to 
  Alaska. 
  The 
  forest-inhabiting 
  grouse 
  are 
  

   rarely 
  near 
  neighbors 
  of 
  man, 
  and 
  hence 
  are 
  of 
  less 
  consequence 
  to 
  

   agriculture 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  open 
  country. 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  group 
  of 
  grouse 
  comprises 
  the 
  ptarmigans, 
  which 
  live 
  

   above 
  timber 
  line 
  on 
  the 
  high 
  summits 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  and 
  

   thence 
  north 
  over 
  suitable 
  country 
  to 
  the 
  arctic 
  tundras 
  of 
  Alaska. 
  

   The 
  ptarmigans 
  are 
  remarkable 
  for 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  meet 
  the 
  

   seasonal 
  conditions 
  of 
  their 
  arctic 
  home 
  by 
  changing 
  the 
  grays 
  and 
  

   browns 
  of 
  their 
  summer 
  dress 
  for 
  the 
  snowy-white 
  of 
  their 
  winter 
  

   one. 
  The 
  willow 
  grouse, 
  or 
  common 
  white 
  ptarmigan, 
  a 
  circumpolar 
  

   bird, 
  is 
  common 
  on 
  the 
  tundras 
  of 
  Alaska 
  and 
  British 
  America. 
  

   With 
  it 
  occurs 
  the 
  rock 
  ptarmigan, 
  which 
  is 
  rather 
  more 
  of 
  a 
  hill 
  

   bird, 
  and 
  which 
  is 
  represented 
  on 
  the 
  Aleutian 
  chain 
  by 
  four 
  island 
  

   forms 
  that 
  differ 
  slightly 
  in 
  color 
  from 
  it 
  and 
  from 
  one 
  another. 
  The 
  

   white-tailed 
  ptarmigan 
  occurs 
  above 
  timber 
  line 
  in 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Moun- 
  

   tains 
  from 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  New 
  Mexico 
  to 
  British 
  Columbia 
  

   and 
  Alaska. 
  Owing 
  to 
  their 
  arctic 
  or 
  subarctic 
  homes 
  the 
  ptar- 
  

   migans 
  have 
  practically 
  no 
  relations 
  with 
  agriculture. 
  They 
  are 
  resi- 
  

   dent 
  throughout 
  the 
  year 
  and 
  abound 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  Alaska, 
  where 
  

   they 
  have 
  long 
  been 
  prized 
  as 
  food 
  by 
  the 
  natives, 
  and 
  now 
  are 
  a 
  

   welcome 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  fare 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  recent 
  population, 
  though, 
  

   as 
  a 
  rule, 
  their 
  flesh 
  is 
  dry 
  and 
  without 
  much 
  flavor. 
  

  

  The 
  common 
  tame 
  turkey 
  is 
  a 
  descendant 
  of 
  birds 
  taken 
  to 
  Europe 
  

   from 
  Mexico 
  by 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  sixteenth 
  century. 
  The 
  

   wild 
  turkeys 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  originally 
  occupied 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  

   extending 
  from 
  - 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Massachusetts 
  west 
  to 
  Colorado 
  and 
  

   south 
  to 
  Florida 
  and 
  the 
  Mexican 
  border. 
  While 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  species 
  as 
  the 
  Mexican 
  bird, 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  modified 
  by 
  the 
  

   varying 
  conditions 
  of 
  their 
  environment 
  into 
  four 
  forms, 
  distinguished 
  

  

  