Range.--"Northwest Coast Mountains, from California to Sitka, east to Nevada, western Idaho and portions of British Columbia." (A.O.U.)

=297b. Richardson Grouse= (_D. o. richardsonii_). Similar to No. 297a, but _no_ tail band, or, if showing indistinctly from above, not visible from below.

Range.--"Rocky Mountains, especially on the eastern slopes, from central Montana, northern Wyoming and southeastern Idaho, into British America to Liard River." (A.O.U.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 298.]

=298. Hudsonian Spruce Grouse= (_Canachites canadensis_). L. 15.

_Ad._ [Male]. Tail-feathers tipped with brown; foreback margined with _bluish gray_. _Ad._ [Female]. Above, bases of feathers more or less barred with rusty especially on foreback; throat and breast barred with rusty and black; belly as in male. _Notes._ A drumming sound produced by the beating of the wings. (Bendire.)

Range.--Labrador and Hudson Bay region.

=298b. Alaska Spruce Grouse= (_C. c. osgoodi_). _Ad._ [Male]. Similar to _Ad._ [Male]. of No. 298c, but margins to feathers of foreback _brownish ashy_. _Ad._ [Female]. Similar to _Ad._ [Female] of No.

298c, but paler, barred with buff instead of rusty.

Range.--Alaska.

=298c. Canada Grouse= (_C. c. canace_). _Ad._ [Male]. Similar to _Ad._ [Male]. of No. 298. _Ad._ [Female]. Similar to _Ad._ [Female] of No. 298, but above more rusty, rusty bars deeper and more conspicuous, showing throughout upper surface and on flanks.

Range.--Northern New England, northern New York, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec west to northern Minnesota.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 299.]

=299. Franklin Grouse= (_Canachites franklinii_). Resembles No. 298, but tail without brown tips, sometimes tipped with white.

Range.--"Northern Rocky Mountains, from northwestern Montana to the coast ranges of Oregon and Washington, and northward in British America, reaching the Pacific coast of southern Alaska (lat.i.tude 60)." (A.O.U.)

Grouse and Ptarmigan

[Ill.u.s.tration: 300.]

=300. Ruffed Grouse; 'Partridge;' 'Pheasant'= (_Bonasa umbellus_).

L. 17. _Ad._ [Male]. Prevailing color above rusty brown; tail rusty or gray. _Ad._ [Female]. Similar but neck-tufts smaller. _Notes._ The male produces a drumming sound by rapidly beating its wings; the female utters a _cluck_ and when defending her brood, a singular low whining sound.

Range.--Eastern United States from Minnesota, southern Ontario, southern New Hampshire and southern Vermont, south to Virginia and along the Alleghanies to Georgia; west to northwestern Arkansas.

=300a. Canadian Ruffed Grouse= (_B. u. togata_). Similar to No. 300, but slightly grayer above; tail generally gray; bars on breast and belly darker and better defined.

Range.--Spruce forests of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Maine northern New Hampshire, northern Vermont and south to higher mountains of Ma.s.sachusetts and northern New York; west to eastern slope of coast ranges of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia; north to James Bay.

=300b. Gray Ruffed Grouse= (_B. u. umbelloides_). Similar to No. 300a, but grayer; prevailing color of upperparts, including crown, gray; tail always gray.

Range.--Rocky Mountains, from Colorado north to lat.i.tude 65 in Alaska, east to Mackenzie and poplar woods of western Manitoba.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 300c.]

=300c. Oregon Ruffed Grouse= (_B. u. sabini_). Similar to No. 300, but much darker, prevailing color of upper parts rusty brown; tail always rusty brown.

Range.--Pacific coast ranges from Cape Mendocino, California, north to British Columbia.

Ptarmigan

[Ill.u.s.tration: 301. Winter]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 301. Summer]

=301. Willow Ptarmigan= (_Lagopus lagopus_). L. 15. Bill large, more than .4 deep at base; tail _black_, narrowly tipped with white. _Ad._ [Male] _Summer._ Throat and upper breast rusty brown. _Ad._ [Male]

_Fall._ Rustier and more finely marked above. _Ad._ [Female].

_Summer._ Above black barred with buff and tipped with white; below buff barred with black; middle of belly whitish. _Ad._ [Female].

_Fall._ Much like fall male. _Ads._, _Winter_. White, tail black tipped with white; _no_ black before eye. _Notes._ Song, _ku-ku-ku-ku_ while ascending five or ten yards in the air; a hard rolling _kr-r-r-r_ when descending. (Nelson.)

Range.--Arctic Regions; in America breeding south to Lat. 55 in winter migrating south to Lat. 50; recorded once from Pen.o.bscot Co., Maine, and once from Manchester, Ma.s.s.

=301a. Allen Ptarmigan= (_L. l. alleni_). Similar to No. 301, but [Female] more finely marked; shafts of primaries, at all seasons, strongly black spreading to the web of the feather.

Range.--Newfoundland.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 302.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 302. Autumn.]

=302. Rock Ptarmigan= (_Lagopus rupestris_). L. 14. Bill _less_ than .4 deep at base; tail black. Always to be known from No. 301 by its smaller bill. _Ad._ [Male] _Summer._ Above irregularly barred and mottled with gray and rusty buff; below barred black and white and rusty buff. _Ad._ [Male] _Fall._ Above minutely speckled black, gray and buff, the prevailing color being grayish brown. _Ad._ [Male]

_Winter._ White, lores and tail black. _Ad._ [Female] _Summer._ Above black barred with rusty and margined with whitish; below rusty barred with black and tipped with whitish. _Ad._ [Female] =Fall.= Like fall [Male]. _Ad._ [Female] _Winter._ Like winter [Male] but no black before eye.

Range.--North America from Gulf of St. Lawrence and higher mountains of British Columbia north to Arctic Regions (except northern Labrador) west through Alaska to Aleutian Islands.

=302a. Reinhardt Ptarmigan= (_L. r. reinhardti_). _Ad._ [Male]

_Summer._ Similar to No. 302, but "less regularly and coa.r.s.ely barred above" (Ridgw.) _Ad._ [Female] _Summer._ Resembles [Female] of No.

302. _Ads. Fall._ Much grayer than No. 302 in fall. _Ads. Winter._ Like No. 302 in winter. _Notes._ When courting the male utters a growling _kurr-kurr_. (Turner.)

Range.--Northern Labrador north to Greenland.

=302b. Nelson Ptarmigan= (_L. r. nelsoni_). _Ad._ [Male], _Summer._ Ground color of upperparts deep umber-brown, very finely and densely vermiculated; chest barred with bright tawny brown and black. _Ad._ [Female], _Summer._ Similar to [Male] of No. 302. (Ridgw.)

Range.--Unalaska, Aleutian Islands.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Beaks - 301. 302. Nat. Size]

=302c. Turner Ptarmigan= (_L. r. atkhensis_). Lighter in general hue than 302d and without black blotches on upperparts. (Elliot.) _Ad._ [Male], _Summer._ "Ground color of upperparts pale raw-umber brown, mixed with pale grayish; chest and neck barred with pale brownish ochre and black." _Ad._ [Female], _Summer._ Ground color of upperparts rusty, mixed with pale grayish buff, narrowly and irregularly barred with black; chest and neck coa.r.s.ely barred with rusty and black.