22 
ZOOLOGY. 
CENTRO CEROUS UROPHASIANUS, Swains on. 
Sage Cock 3 Cock of Ike plains. 
Tetrao urophasianus, Bonap. Zool. Jour. Ill, Jan. 1828, 214 —In. Am. Orn III, 1830; pi. xxi, f. 1 .—Ib. Mon. 
Telrao, in Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. N. S. Ill, 1830, 390.— Douglas, Trans. Linn. Soc. XVI, 
1829, 133.— -Nuttall, Man. 1, 1832, 666 .— Aud. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 503 ; pi. 371.— Ib Syn. 
205.— Ib. Birds Amer. V, 1842,106 ; pi. 297.— Newberry, Zool. Cal. & Or. Koute ; Rep. P. R. 
R. Surv. VI, iv, 1857, 95. 
Tetrao ( Centrocercus ) urophasianus, Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, 1831,358 ; pi. lviii. 
Centrocercus urophasianus, Jardine, Game Birds, Nat. Lib. Birds, IV, 140 ; pi. xvii_ Baird, Gen. Rep. Birds, p. 624. 
?? Tetrao phasianellus, Ord. Guthrie’s Geog. 2d Am. ed. II, 1815, 317, based on Lewis & Clark, II, 181. 
Cock of the plains, Lewis & Clark, II, 180, sp. 2. 
Sp. Ch.—T ail feathers twenty. Above varied with black, brown, and brownish yellow; coverts having all the feathers 
Streaked with the latter. Beneath black ; the breast white ; the upper feathers with spiny shafts ; the lower streaked with 
black ; tail coverts with white tips ; the sides also with much white. Length, 29 ; Wing, 11.30 ; tail, 11.50. Female much 
smaller. Iris brown. 
Hah. —Sage plains of the northwest. 
The cock of the plains, known as sage fowl in this Territory, is common on the high, barren hills 
and deserts east of the Cascade mountains, being limited in its range, apparently, by the growth 
of the bitter and turpentine-flavored Ai'temesia tridentata or ‘ ‘ wild sage,” as it is improperly 
called. The leaves of this shrub seem to be a principal part of its food, and the flesh tastes 
so strong of it that it is quite unpalatable, though white and tempting as a turkey’s. We saw 
none of these birds north of the Spokane plains, the country being, apparently, too woody for 
them. On those plains they were common, for though level the surface is dry, sterile, and 
elevated near a thousand feet above the sea. 
The flight of this species is more heavy and less noisy than that of most grouse, and when 
they are started, commonly extends a long distance without alighting.—C. 
Sage cock are abundant on the sage plains of Oregon, near Snake river, on both sides of the Blue 
mountains. They are also found along the line of the Columbia, on the open plains, and, again, 
on the sage barrens of the Yakima and Simcoe valleys, in Washington Territory, about latitude 
46° and 47° north. In fact, wherever “sage ” ( artemesia ) abounds this bird is found. I have 
dissected these 1 grouse in situations where there was abundance of grass seeds, wild grain, 
grasshoppers, and other kinds of food that a person would imagine would be readily eaten by 
them, yet I have failed to obtain a single particle of any other article of food in their full 
stomachs than the leaves of the artemesia. This food must either be highly preferred, or else 
be essential to their existence. They seem to have the faculty of doing a long time without 
water, as I have found them in habitually dry, desert situations, during severe droughts, a long 
distance from water. The flesh of this bird is rather strong and bitter, from the nature of its 
food, and it also quickly decomposes after death. It, however, is Very grateful to the palates 
of those that have been subsisting long on salt provisions. 
I found this bird most abundant on the southern slope of the Blue mountains in the vicinity of 
Powder river. Here there are immense desert sage plains, well adapted to the species in every 
respect. The bird hides well, and lies close, frequently allowing a man’s approach to within a 
few feet. 
Lieutenant Fleming, of the United States army, informs me that it is found about twelve 
miles west of Fort Laramie, but is not seen east of that point, at least so far south. Its 
