COCK OF THE PLAINS 
57 
of the Columbia in great abundance, from the entrance of the 
south-east fork of the Columbia to that of Clark’s river. It appears 
also to extend to California, for there can be but little doubt that 
it is the bird erroneously called Bustard by the travellers who 
have visited that country. Lewis and Clark state that in its 
habits it resembles the Grous, (meaning probably T. phctsianellus) 
except that its favourite food is the leaf and buds of the pulpy- 
leafed thorn. The gizzard is large, and much less compressed 
and muscular than in most gallinaceous birds, and perfectly 
resembles a maw. When the bird flies, he utters a cackling 
note, not unlike that of the domestic fowl. The flesh of the 
Cock of the Plains is dark, and only tolerable in point of flavour, 
and is not so palatable as either that of the Pheasant or Grous. 
It is invariably found in the plains. 
The Cock of the Plains is precisely equal in size to the Cock of 
the Woods; at least such is the result of a comparison of the 
female with the corresponding sex of the European bird, both 
lying before us. Each part exactly coincides in form and dimension, 
excepting that the tail rather gives the superiority to the American, 
so that if the male bears the same relative proportion to his 
female, the Cock of the Plains must be proclaimed the largest of 
Grouse. The two females are strikingly similar. The Cock of the 
Plains is however a much more grayish bird, wanting entirely the 
reddish that mottles, and occupies so much of the plumage of its 
analogue. This, the total want of beard-like appendages, and the 
singular shape of the tail, are the prominent discriminative 
features; to which may be added, that the under wing-coverts, 
marbled with black in the European, are pure white in our new 
species, though this, as well as the want of reddish, might be 
ascribed to the youth of our specimen. However this may be, 
the remaining differences will be better estimated by attending to 
the following minute and accurate description. 
VOL. III.—p 
