SPOTTED GROUS. 
667 
Concerning this fine species, almost representing the 
Black Grous ( T. tetrix ) of Europe, we know as yet noth- 
ing more than that it was shot by Major Long’s exploring 
party, on the 16th of July, 1820, in one of the romantic 
and wild bushy ravines of the Rocky Mountains, near to 
where the lofty chain divides the waters of the Atlantic 
and Pacific oceans. As it rose to fly, like other species 
it uttered a cackling note. Mr. Sabine’s specimen of 
the male, mentioned by Bonaparte, was probably obtain- 
ed in the interior of arctic America. 
The female Dnsky Grous is IS inches in length. (The male a 
little larger, and wholly black, or very dusky, with the tail-feathers 
of the same unvaried dark tint.) The general color of the female 
blackish brown, much lighter on the neck and beneath, having all 
the feathers barred and tipped with pale ochreous, inclining to brown ; 
these lighter portions of most of the feathers are thickly mottled 
with black. Sides of the head and throat whitish, with dusky spots. 
The flanks varied with rufous. Abdominal region plain cinereous ; 
3d and 5th primaries nearly equal ; primaries, secondaries, and outer 
wing-coverts, plain dusky ; the secondaries have ochreous zig-zag 
marks on their outer webs, and are slightly tipped with dull whitish ; 
the primaries also somewhat mottled with dingy white externally, 
but are wholly without the regular white spots, seen in other Grous ; 
under wing-coverts, and long axillary feathers, pure white. Tail 7J 
inches, the middle feathers only with rufous mottled bars, the whole 
terminated with a broad terminal band of cinereous, speckled minute- 
ly with blackish. 
SPOTTED GROUS. 
( Tetrao canadensis , Lin. Bonap. Am. Orn. iii. pi. 20. [male.] pi. 21. 
fig. 2. [female.] Phil. Museum.) 
Sp. Charact. — Tail moderate, rounded, of 16 broad black feathers; 
sides of the neck, breast, flanks, and tail-coverts spotted with 
white. — Male black, waved with grey ; the throat and breast 
deep black. — Female much lighter mottled ; throat and breast 
banded with black and rufous. 
