174 



GROUSE— GUAN-DOVES— TURKEYS. 



Mountain Partridge ; Gray's Ruffled Grouse. 



belloides.) 



Fig. 26. 



(JBonasa umbellus, var. um- 



This bird is a Rocky Mountain varietj'- of the typical species, re- 

 presented on Plate LXXVIII, fig. 1, page 120. 



Texan Guan ; Chiacalaca. {Ortalida vetula.) 



Fig. 27. 



A species inhabiting the Valley of the Rio Grande, thence south- 

 ward. It is common near Matamoras and Brownsville, where it 

 is exposed for sale and held in high esteem by the Mexicans on 

 account of its good fighting qualities. According to Colonel Mc- 

 Call, it was abundant for miles along the Lower Rio Grande, and 

 throughout this region the remarkable and sonorous cry of the 

 male bird could not fail to attract and fix the attention of the most 

 obtuse or listless wanderer, who might chance to approach its abode. 

 He also states that the eye is a remarkable feature in the living 

 birds of this species, being full of courage and animation, equal, 

 in fact, in brilliancy, to that of the finest game-cock. He frequently 

 noticed this bird domesticated by the Mexicans at Matamoras, 

 Monterey, etc., and going at large about their gardens. He was 

 assured that in that condition it was not unfrequently crossed with 

 the common fowl. 



Southern Sharp-tailed Grouse ; Columbia, or Common Sharp-tailed 

 Grouse. (Pedioecetes phasianellus var. columbianus?) 



Fig. 28. 



Of the two varieties of Sharp-tailed Grouse found in North 

 America this is the Southern or Westerri variety. The Northern 

 is represented on Plate XCVI, fig. 3, page 143. The present bird 

 is met with on the prairies of the Western States, and, according to 

 Dr. Newberry, it is said to lie close, and when flushed to fly off, 

 uttering a constantly repeated kurk-kurk-kurk, moving with stead- 

 iness and considerable swiftness. It is, however, easily killed. 

 The young birds are fat and tender, and as they fall on the grassy 

 prairie scatter their feathers, as if torn to pieces. For - delicacy of 

 flavor its flesh is unequaled. Its combination of colors makes it 

 resemble the ground, on which it lives, requiring a keen and prac- 

 ticed eye to distinguish them when they have fallen. It also pro- 

 tects them from the hawks and owls. The food consists of berries, 

 insects, grass-seeds, etc. 



Franklin's Grouse, or Spruce Grouse. (Tetrao canadensis, vzx.fr ank- 



lini.') 



Fig. 29. 



This variety of the typical species, represented on Plate XCVI, 

 fig. 1, page 142, is met with from the Rocky Mountains to the 

 Pacific, and from Oregon to high northern latitudes. 



Key West Dove, or Pigeon. (Geotrygon martinica.) 



Fig. 30. 



Audubon met with this rare species at the island of Key West, 

 which, so far as known, is restricted to that section. He describes 

 its flight as low, swift, and protracted, as he saw them passing 

 between Cuba and Key West. They usually move in loose flocks 

 of from six to a dozen, and so very low as to almost touch the sur- 

 face. Their coo is not so soft nor so prolonged as that of the 

 Common Dove, and may be represented by the syllables ivhoe- 

 •whoe-oh-oh-oh. When suddenly approached, they utter a guttural, 



gasping sound. They usually alight on the low branches of 

 shrubby trees, and delight in the neighborhood of shady ponds. 



Scaly Dove ; Long-tailed Ground Dove. (JScardafella inca.) 



Fig. 31. 



Lieutenant Couch obtained a specimen of this species in the State 

 of New Leon, Mexico, April 18, 1853. It is supposed to be a 

 resident of the Rio Grande Valley, south to Guatemala. It is said 

 by Mr. Taylor to be very common in Honduras, where he gen- 

 erally saw it in pairs. He also found it good eating. 



Blue-headed Pigeon, or Ground Dove. (Starncenas cyanocephala.) 



Fig. 32. 



This beautiful bird is a resident of the West India Islands and 

 Florida Keys. Mr. Audubon saw a pair near the water, picking 

 gravel, but they would not suffer a near approach. They usually 

 live in the most tangled thickets, and feed well on cracked corn or 

 rice. 



Ground Dove. (Chamcefielia passerina.) 



Fig. 33- 



This is a small and delicate little species, of the South Atlantic 

 and Gulf Coasts. In Jamaica, according to Mr. March, the 

 Ground Dove sometimes perches, and always roosts, on low trees, 

 but is otherwise generally found in pairs, feeding on the ground on 

 small grain and seeds. Several pairs may be seen feeding to- 

 gether ; but they do not associate. It is said to be very tame, and 

 to be found about homesteads and in streets and roads. It also 

 breeds in low trees ; the carchew and the dogwood seeming to be 

 preferred. It is very rarely kept as a cage-bird, as its note is a 

 plaintive, mournful coo, and there is a Creole superstition that mis- 

 fortune will happen to any one so treating it. The nest is slightly 

 made of twigs, lined with grass, and built in a fork or hollow. 

 The eggs are two, of a rounded oval, white, eighty-seven 

 hundredths of an inch by sixty-nine. Mr. Audubon describes the 

 flight of this Dove as low, easy, and accompanied by a whistling 

 sound, produced by the action of the wings when the bird is sur- 

 prised and forced to fly. 



PLATE CXV. 



Common Wild Turkey ; Mexican Turkey. {Meleagris gallopavo.) 



Fig. 1. 



It is generally supposed that to this rare bird we are indebted for 

 the introduction of our common domestic Turkey, so popular with 

 the denizens of North America, on account of its surpassing ex- 

 cellence for the table. It is met with in the southern portions of 

 the Middle Province, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and south- 

 ward along the table-lands of Mexico. 



(Meleagris gallofiavo, var. americana.) 



Fig. 2. 



This bird is a variety of the last-named, and is met with in 

 Eastern North America, north to Canada, and in the West along 

 the timbered river valleys, toward the Rocky Mountains, thence 

 south to the Gulf Coast, Mr. Dresser found the Wild Turkey 

 common in all the portions of Texas and Mexico that he visited, 

 and particularly so on the rivers between San Antonio and the Rio 



