AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
85 
SPOTTED GROUS. 
TETRAO CANADENSIS. 
[Plate VIII. Vol. 3. — half size.] 
Tetrao Canadensis , Ch. Bonaparte’s American Orni- 
thology , Vol. hi. p. 47, pi. xxi. — Linn, Syst. i. p. 207. 
sp. 3. — Gmel. Syst. i. p. 749, sp. 3. — Lath. bid. p. 
637, sp. 6. — Forster, in Phil. Trans, lxii. p. 389. — 
Temm. Ind. Gall, in Hist. Pig. et Gall. hi. p. 702. — 
Vieill. Novio. Diet. Hist. Nat . — Sabine, Zool. app. 
Frank. Exp. p. 683. — Nob. Cat. birds, U. S. sp. 207. 
Id. Syn. Birds , U S. sp. 108. 
Lagopus Bonasa Freti Hudsonis, Briss. Orn. \. p. 
201. sp. 6. — Klein. Av. p. 117, sp. 6 . — La Gelinolte du 
Canada, Buff. Ois. ii. p. 279. — Black and Spotted 
Heath Cock, Edw. Glean. p. 71, pi. 11S. — Brown and 
Spotted Heath Cock, Ellis. Hudson Bay, i. t. p. 50. 
Spotted Grous, Penn. Arct. Zool. sp. 182, Lath. Syn. 
iv. p. 735, sp. 6. In Suppl. p. 214. — The small 
Speckled Pheasant, Lewis and Clark Exp. ii. p. 182. 
— Philadelphia Museum. 
“The Spotted Grous,” says M. Bonaparte, “is well 
characterized by its much rounded tail of but sixteen 
broad and rounded feathers, and may be at once distin- 
guished from all others by the large and conspicuous 
white spots, ornamenting the breast, flanks, and under 
tail-coverts. 
“It has been inaccurately compared with the European 
Tetrao bonasia, from which it differs very materially, not 
even being of the same subgenus, and approaching nearer, 
if indeed it can be compared with any, to the Tetrao 
urogallus. 
“ This bird is common at Hudson’s Bay throughout 
the year — there frequenting the plains and low grounds, 
though in other parts of America it is found on moun- 
tains, even of great elevation. It inhabits Canada in win- 
ter, and was seen by Vieillot in great numbers, during 
the month of October, in Nova Scotia. Lewis and Clark 
met with it on the elevated range of the Rocky Moun- 
tains, and brought back from their western expedition a 
male specimen, now deposited in the Philadelphia 
Museum, where it has been long exhibited under the 
name of Louisiana Grous. This, as truly observed by 
Say, first entitled it to rank among birds of the United 
States. But the Rocky Mountains are not the only re- 
gion of the United States territory where the Spotted 
Grous is found. We have traced it with certainty as a 
winter visitant of the northern extremity of Maine, Michi- 
gan, and even the state of New-York; where, though 
Y 
very rare, it is found in the counties of Lewis and Jeffer- 
son. On the frontiers of Maine it is abundant, and has 
been seen by Professor Holmes of the Gardiner Lyceum, 
near Lake Umbagog, and others. In these countries the 
Spotted Grous is known by the various names of Wood 
Partridge, Swamp Partridge, Cedar Partridge, and 
Spruce Partridge. The American settlers of Canada dis- 
tinguish it by the first. In Michigan and New-York 
it generally goes by the second. In Maine it bears the 
third ; and in other parts of New-England, New-Bruns- 
wick, &c., more properly the last. We have been inform- 
ed by Gen. Henry A. S. Dearborn, that they are sent 
from Nova Scotia and New-Brunswick to Boston in a 
frozen state ; as in the north they are known to be so kept 
hanging throughout the winter, and when wanted for use, 
they need only be taken down and placed in cold water 
to thaw. General Dearborn, to whom we are much in- 
debted for the information which his interest for science 
has induced him voluntarily to furnish, mentions, that he 
has heard from his father, during the progress of the 
expedition under Arnold through the wilderness to Que- 
bec in 1775, these Grous were occasionally shot between 
the tide waters of the Kennebeck river, and the sources 
of the Chaudiere, now forming part of the state of Maine. 
Five specimens of the Spotted Grous have been sent to 
the Lyceum of Natural History of New-York from the 
Sault de ste Marie, by Mr. Schoolcraft, whose exertions in 
availing himself of the opportunities which his residence 
affords him for the advancement of every branch of 
Zoology, merits the highest praise. He informs us that 
this bird is common from Lake Huron to the sources of 
the Mississippi, being called in the Chipeway language 
Mushcodasee, i. e. Partridge of the Plains. 
“The favourite haunts of the Spotted Grous are pine 
woods, and dark cedar swamps; in winter resorting to 
the deep forests of spruce to feed on the tops and leaves 
of these ever-greens, as well as on the seeds contained in 
their cones, and on juniper berries. Hence their flesh, 
though at all times good, is much better in summer, as in 
winter it has a strong flavour of spruce. At Hudson’s 
Bay, where they are called indifferently Wood or Spruce 
Partridge, they are seen throughout the year. Like other 
Grous, they build on the ground, laying perhaps seven 
eggs; these are white, yellow, and black. They are easily 
approached, being unsuspicious, and by no means so shy 
as the common Ruffed Grous, and are killed or trapped 
in numbers without much artifice being necessary for this 
purpose. When much disturbed, like their kindred species, 
they are apt to resort to trees, where, by using the pre- 
caution of always shooting the lowest, the whole terrified 
flock may be brought down to the last bird. 
