126 
THE CANADIAN OFtOUSB. 
m much better in summer, a.s in winter it hnn a strong 
flavour of Sfiruce. At Hudson 'h Bay» where tliey 
are called ii«iifferent!y Wood or Spruce Panridge, 
tJhcj* tire seen tiiroughout the year. Like other 
fiTOusEj iliey build m the grouiui, Imvin^ perlmpa 
fewer eggs ; ibeae are varied with white, yellow and 
Mack. They are easily approached, being iinauspi- 
cious, by no means so shy hb the common rafted 
grouse, and are killed or trapped in numbers, with- 
out mucli artifice being necessary for thia purpose. 
When much disturbed, like their kindred species, 
they are apt to resort to trees, where, by using^ the 
precaution of always shooting the lowest, the whole 
of the terriBed flock may be bronght down to the 
last bird." Mr Douglas say* that they (the var. 
Frnnklinii) are the most common birds in the val- 
leys of the Rocky r^Iountaina from 50' to CO*, and 
that some small troops are found hi the higher moun- 
tains, which form the base of the snowy peaks. The 
alarm-note is two or three hollow soundsj endinj^ in 
a yeaniiug diisagreeable gt'ating note, like tlie latter 
part of the call of the Guinea fowl. The male ia 
represented on the accompanying plate ; the female 
is smaller, more varied, with less of black, and more 
of dusky; the upper parts are confusedly mottled 
with dull rusty orange and grey. The sides of the 
head, throat, and all the neck below, are dull rusty 
brown, eacf) feather varied with black ; on the lower 
part of the breast the black bands are broad and very 
deep, alternating equally with rusty oi-ange. 
Our next bird is — 
