1877.] 189 [Bendire. 



125. Centroeercus urophasianus (Sw.). Sage Cock. 



A common resident species, particularly abundant in the upper 

 Sylvies Valley at an altitude of about six thousand feet. During the 

 winter, however, they do not remain there, but frequent Harney 

 Valley some twelve hundred feet lower, where comparatively few 

 breed. Their food consists principally of the leaves of the sagebush 

 (Artemisia), the seed tops of various grasses, and also crickets. 

 The young birds are particularly fond of the latter. Their nests are 

 a slight depression in the sandy ground, close to a sagebush, or on 

 the side and partly covered by a bunch of rye grass, lined with a 

 little grass and a few feathers. The eggs are from seven to ten in 

 number, generally eight or nine. They commence laying about 

 April 15. The eggs vary a good deal in their ground color, which 

 usually is a pale drab or buff color, and occasionally a dirty green, 

 something like the color of a Mallard's egg. They are marked with 

 chocolate brown spots varying in size, and nearly evenly distributed 

 over the entire egg. Eggs out of different nests measure as follows : 

 2.24 X 1.58, 2.30 X 1-46, 2.01 X 1.40, 2.25 X 1.50, 2.19 X 1-50, 

 1.98 X 1-49, 2.02 X 1-38. The young are of full size by the middle 

 of July, and are then excellent eating provided they are drawn at 

 once after they have been shot; this applies only to young birds. On 

 one occasion I have seen three of these birds sitting on a horizontal 

 limb of a juniper about two feet from the ground, which was then 

 covered with a foot of snow. As a usual thing they roost on the 

 ground. In winter I have often seen packs of fifty and more; at 

 such times they are very shy and difficult of approach. They rise 

 with a loud rumbling noise, and when once started their flight is 

 swift and protracted. 



126. Pedioecetes columbianus (Baird). Sharp-tailed 

 Grouse. 



Only a moderately common resident, apparently irregularly dis- 

 tributed. In the winter I have seen packs of from one to two hun- 

 dred in the vicinity of Port Lapwai, Idaho. They frequently roost 

 on the willow bushes along the streams, and I have seen them alight 

 on pine trees on the outskirts of the timber. In the vicinity of Camp 

 Harney they are mostly found in the juniper groves during the cold 

 weather, and the birds live almost exclusively on the berries of these 

 trees. The eggs usually number from eleven to fourteen. 



