SHARP-TAILED GROUSE. 379 
authentic information of the existence of this bird within the 
limits of these States. He met with it on the upper waters 
of the Missouri, but observes that it is peculiarly the inhabi- 
tant of the great plains of the Columbia. He states also, that 
the scales, or lateral processes of the toes, with which it is 
furnished in winter, like the rest of its genus, drop off in 
summer. 
Say introduced the species regularly into the scientific 
records of his country. The expedition under Major Long 
brought back a specimen now in the Philadelphia Museum, 
from which, though a female, and unusually light coloured, we 
have had our drawing made, on account of its having been 
procured in the American territory. The bird is never seen 
in any of the Atlantic States, though numerous in high northern 
latitudes. It is common near Severn river and Albany Fort, 
inhabiting the uncultivated lands in the neighbourhood of 
the settlements, and particularly near the southern parts of 
Hudson’s Bay, being often killed in winter near Fort York ; 
but it does not extend its range to Churchill. Near Fort 
William, on Lake Superior, the sharp-tailed grouse is also 
found in spring, and we have seen specimens killed in winter 
at Cumberland House, and others at York Factory in summer. 
In collections it is very rare ; and Temminck, when he wrote 
his history of gallinaceous birds, had never seen a specimen, 
nor did it exist at the time in any Kuropean museum. 
It is by the shape of the tail that this grouse is eminently 
distinguished from all others. The English name, which we 
have, with Mr Sabine, selected from Pennant, is much more 
applicable than that of long-tailed, given by Edwards; for 
instead of being long, it is, except the middle feathers, remark- 
ably short, cuneiform, and acute, more resembling that of some 
ducks than of the pheasant. By the elongated feathers, but 
in no other particular, this species approaches the African 
genus Pterocles, At Hudson’s Bay it is called pheasant, a 
name which, though inappropriate, seems at least better 
applied to this than the ruffed grouse. 
