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Un daa symbolas suivants apparaltra sur la darnlAra imaga da chaqua microficha, salon la cas: la symbols — »> signifia "A SUIVRE ', la symbols ▼ signifis "FIN". Maps, platas. charts, ate, may ba filmad at diffarant raduction ratios. Thosa too larga to ba antiraly includad in ona axposura ara filmad baginning in tha uppar laft hand cornar, laft to right and top to bottom, as many framaa aa raquirad. Tha following diagrama illuatrata tha mathod: Las cartas, pianchas. tablaaux, ate, pauvant Atra filmte A das taux da rMuction diffirants. Lorsqua la documant ast trop grand pour Atio raproduit an un saul cliche, il ast filmA A partir da I'angia supArisur gaucha, da gaucha A droita. at da haut an bas. an pranant la nombra d'imagas nAcassaira. Las diagrammas suivants illustrant la mAthoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 GA GAME BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA " Ask thou the citizens of pathless woods; What cut the air with wings ? " — Sandys. / I. Hob White. ./• i r\ '• ' "i.^^'Us /, './. H f \ « Kl '^;^;-. Mi a;.' !-!u.A . I t (t 1 • . !.-.«•: I UMl' ; .- .'•; Ill, ».••..■ I I I . t f.M I i t ■ •■ itiM Ji • . . 'i I ' I y a <• . , ■>- ;• i.:.VK ; -CIl.N' ! il i' N ^.MI■S ■') /.)',; . ' »••,'> /^,•.,«• huJs J!i,iJ 'dilh .: .*■ •• ,ihn i.ijt ■ it'j di'-r- U' If I'H /'<, • •,;•.. :;ttu>.'s 'II //'.7/ haunts I > , On; f/o: u li. < ; I.' .i: rOi. I }'•>■/ \ j'/.Air^ ..r,^' \-' \ - of *■ _. t.^^ ■■tr ^:..,«^ J- ■t*'- i- Upji JI'TClt (ly t'.i:- . 1' U'-:ln I. H*.'. Whif. THE 6^ GALLINACEOUS GAME BIRDS OP NORTH AMERICA I>fCI.UDINO THE PARTRIDGES, GROUSE, PTARMIGAN, AND WILD TURKEYS ; WITH ACCOUNTS OF THEIR DIS- PERSION, HAUITS, NESTINO. ETC., AND FULL DESCRIP- TIONS OF THE PLUMAGE OF BOTH ADULT AND YOUNG. TO- GETHER WITH THEIR POPULAR AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES /4 book written both for those who love to seek these birds afield with dog and gun, as well as those who may only desire to learn the ways of such attractive creatures in their haunts BY DANIHI. GIRAUD^I.LIOT. F. R. S. F.. ftc. Ex- President of the ■nmerican Ornithologists' Union Author of the ''^ewand Heretofore Un figured Hirds of Xorth America,^* of the * Worth American Shore liirds," of the Illustrated Mono- graphs of the Ant Thrushes, Grouse Pheasants, Birds of Paradise, Hornbills, Cats, etc. WITH FORTY-SIX PLATES LONDON SUCKLING & CO. 1897 ^^^ .-^^ r^"" Copyright, 1897, BY FRANXIS P. HARPER. PRINTED IN AMERICA PREFACE. No group of animals is more important to man than the one comprisinfj tlie gallinaceous hinls — the source from which has been derived the countless varieties of domcsti^„:ed fowl distributed throughout the world. As articles of food they are of inestimable value, and the birds enter largely into the various accounts of trade. But beside the commercial aspect, which is important enough, the species present other attractions that appeal most strongly to those for whom this book was espe- cially written, the sportsmen — viz., the pleasure they yield in the chase, and the incentive they provide for action and effort, when, in the leafy aisles of the whisper- ing forests, or in the thickets, and along the banks of the leaping stream, or on the open sky-encircled prairie, man in his quest for these game-like creatures, aided by his faithful dog, finds renewed health and strength to wrestle with the toils and troubles of his daily life. For accomplishing this result alone, even if in all their life and death they yielded no other, these birds were not created in vain. The favorable reception given to my book on the " Shore Birds " has encouraged me to write the life his- tories (as my opportunities have enabled me to become familiar with them) of possibly the most attractive feath- ered creatures, certainly so from the sportsman's point of view, which our country possesses. The water fowl to some may appear more desirable, a few are really game, and I would be the last to speak or write disparagingly VI PREFACE. of them; but the environment of the Ducks and Geese suffers in comparison witli that of gaUinaceous birds, and the beautiful pictures of high-bred dogs, seeking and pointing game, are lacking in the pursuit of the web- footed quarry. The construction of the present volume is precisely similar to that of the " Shore Birds," and first is given the common name of each bird, or, if there are more than one, that most generally employed. Then follows an account of the habits and economy of the species, and a short life history; after which comes the Latin name succeeded by the geographical distribution, and a de- scription of both sexes when necessary, and of the young whenever possible. In the Appendix will be found the Keys to the Families, Subfamilies, Genera, and Species, arranged in the same simple manner as those published in the ** Shore Birds," and which will enable anyone with a little patience to ascertain to what species an unfamiliar example may belong. Excepting perhaps the Ptarmigan, the various species of gallinaceous birds are more easily recognized from each other, in illustrations printed only in black and white, than are those of the " Shore Birds," and the various Keys will be found perhaps less necessary, and only really required in the cases of the group above men- tioned, or in closely allied species of Prairie Grouse. The author's experience among the game birds has been very extensive, gained from a familiar acquaintance with them in their haunts extending over many years. With a few exceptions, he has observed all the species contained in this book in the various localities they fre- quent throughout North America, and in the proper season representatives of most of them have fallen to his gun. Unlike the majority of the " Shore Birds," omit- I , PRE/ ACE. VII tinp^ a few species and those mainly amonp^ the Ptarmi- gan, Partridp^es and Grouse breed within the hmits of the United States, and their habits in the nestinp^ season can be observed by anyone who may be sufficiently inter- ested to visit those parts of our country in which the birds are to be found. Their nests are similar in construction, but the egfpfs vary g^reatly in coloration, and some, like those of the Ptarmigan, are strongly characteristic and unmistak- able in their markings. The eggs of the F*artridgcs are usually of one color and unspotted, those of the Grouse and Turkeys more or less covered with spots, which differ in hue from the ground color. Having provided in the work on " Shore Birds " a map which gave the position and name of all the differ- ent portions of a bird's plumage, it does not seem neces- sary to issue another for the birds contained in this, a companion volume, for the arrangement of the plumage in all birds is the same, although the shape of the feathers may be very different, and the terms by which these are known do not vary. Tile plates which adorn the volume are the production of the clever pencil of Mr. Edwin Sheppard, who illus- trated the " Shore Birds," and like those drawings, these, executed with equal fidelity, will be of the utmost assist- ance in helping those unfamiliar with the species to recognize their specimens without difficulty. The Latin names employed, except when reasons are given in the articles or in the Appendix for changing them, are those of the last edition of the Check List issued by the American Ornithologists' Union. The author sincerely trusts that this book will prove to be of value to all sportsmen, and help bring to their mem- ories halcyon days amid the game birds in tangled brake VUI PREFACE. or open prairie, and that the student, desirous of learning the ways of life and variations in dress of one of the most gallant and attractive groups of birds living to-day, may find some profit and instruction in a perusal of its pages. My thanks are due to my friends Professor Allen and Mr. Chapman of the New York Museum of Natural History, to Mr. R. Ridgway of the Smithsonian Institu- tion, and to Mr. Whitmer Stone of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, for the loan of speci- mens of the various species from which the illustrations in this volume have been made. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE Preface, v List of Illustrations, xi Introduction, xiii Bob White, 19 The Florida Bob White, 32 Texan Bob White 35 Masked Bob White, .38 Mountain Partridge, 41 Plumed Partridcs, 44 3an Pedro Partridge, 47 Scaled Partridge, 49 Chestnut-Bellied Scaled PARTRiorii, .... 53 California Partridge, 55 Valley Partridge, 58 Gambel's Partridge, 62 Massena Partridge, 69 Ruffed Grouse, •/'''>J^ Oregon, or Sabine's Grouse, 81 Canadian Ruffed Grouse 84 Gray Ruffed Grouse, 88 Dusky Grouse, 90 Sooty Grouse, 94 Richardson's Grouse, 98 Canada Grouse, 100 Franklin's Grouse, 106 Prairie Hen, no \* M ft \ X CONTENTS. PAGE Heath Hen, 117 Lesser Prairie Hen, 120 Attwajer's Prairie Hen, 122 Siiari'-Taii.ed Grouse, 123 Columuian Sharp-Tailkd Grouse, 126 Prairie Shari'-Taile'> Grouse, 129 Sage Grouse, 136 Willow Ptarmigan, 142 Allen's Ptarmigan, 149 Rock Ptarmigan, 151 Reiniiarut's Ptarmigan, 154 Welch's Ptarmigan, 157 Nelson's Ptarmigan, i5g Turner's Ptarmigan, 161 Townsend's Ptarmigan, 163 Evermann's Ptarmigan, 165 White-Tailed Ptarmigan 167 Wild Turkey, 172 Florida Wild Turkey, 177 Elliot's Rio Grande Turkey, 180 Mexican Turkey 182 Appendix, 189 Index, 213 PAGE < "7 1 20 122 123 126 ; 129 j. 136 ] 142 149 I 151 2 154 3- 157 4- 159 5- 161 6. 163 7- 165 8. 167 9- 172 10. 177 II. 180 12. 182 13. 189 14. 213 15. 16. 17- 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23- 24. 25- 26. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Bob White, Floriha Bob White, Texan Bob White Masked Bob White, Mountain Partridge, Plumed Partridge, San Pedro Partridge, Scaled Partridge, Chestnut-Bellied vScaled Partridge, California Partridge, . Valley Partridge, .... Gambel's Partridge, Massena Partridge, Ruffed Grouse Oregon, or Sabine's Ruffed Grouse, Canadian Ruffed Grouse, Gray Ruffed Grouse, Dusky Grouse, .... Sooty Grouse, Richardson's Grouse, Canada Grouse, .... Franklin's Grouse, Prairie Hen, Heath Hen, Lesser Prairie Hen, Attwater's Prairie Hen, xi Frontispiece Opposite page 32 " 35 " 38 " 41 " 44 " 47 " 49 " 53 " 55 " 58 " 62 " 69 " 74 " 81 " 84 " 88 " 90 • 94 " 98 " 100 • 106 " no " 117 " " 120 " " 122 % \ xu LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 27. Sharp-Tailed Grouse, 28. CoLUMiiiAN Sharp-Tailed Grouse, 29. Prairie Sharp-Tailed Grouse, 30. Sage Grouse, 31. Willow Ptarmigan, . . . . 32. Willow Ptarmkjan in Winter, 33. Rock Ptarmigan, . . . . 34. Rock Ptarmigan in Winter, 35. Reinhardt's Ptarmigan, 36. Welch's Ptarmigan, .... 37. Nelson's Ptarmigan, . . . . 38. Turner's Ptarmigan, 39. Townsend's Ptarmigan, 40. Evermann's Ptarmigan, 41. White-Tailed Ptarmigan, 42. White-Tailed Ptarmigan in Winter, 43. Wild Turkey, 44. Florida Wild Turkey, 45. Elliot's Rio Grande Turkey, 46. Mexican Turkey, .... Color Chart at End of the Volume. opposite page 123 126 129 136 142 146 151 152 154 157 159 161 163 165 167 170 172 177 180 182 INTRODUCTION. "T^HE great division of the Class Aves called Galling, * sometimes designated Rasores {Latin rasor, a scraper), from the habit possessed by its members of scratching the ground in search of food, is composed of two suborders and four families. Of tlic latter we have to do at the present time with only two — Tetraonid/E and Fuasianiu/E, contain- ing th >se species which have fozvl-fcct, in contradistinc- tion to the other two families — Megapodid^ and Cracii)^, which have feet like a pigeon. These four families comprise between three and four hundred species, distributed throughout the world, and are of the very highest importance in their relation to man, affording food to multitudes of people, and the members of the Phasianid/E are the sources of all the domesticated poultry found in the world to-day. In form the birds are usually heavy in body with rather stout legs and feet, small heads and curved bills, with the nostrils placed in a membrane covered by a scale, and the wings are short and rounded. In some subfamilies the males, and occasionally the females, have the legs armed with spurs, and certain species have several spurs at a time upon each leg. The sternum, or breastbone, has a double bifurcation on each side, the fissures wide and deep, and provides but little space for the attachment of the great pectoral muscles, which how- ever are well developed, and give the plump appearance to the breast so characteristic of these birds. The tail is of various shapes, and in the Phasianid^ is sometimes 35 '.3 T XIII XIV INTKODUCriON. lengthened enormously, and occasionally the feathers are highly decorated by various markings or brilliant color- ation. The flight is labored but rapid, and occasionally protracted. In their anatomy these birds have various peculiarities. The esophagus is dilated, forming the crop which re- ceives and moistens the food; while the gizzard, which is present in all save the Sage Cock, is very strong, with a thick, hard, interior wall. To assist this organ in grind- ing the food the birds are in the habit of swallowing small stones and other hard objects. The coeca are highly developed. The species of this order are accustomed to lay numer- ous eggs, to go in coveys of considerable numbers, com- posed at times of one or more families, and the young, which are at first covered with down, are able to run and feed as soon as hatched. The family Tetraonid/E, which comprises the great majority of gallinaceous birds inhab- iting North America, contains those known as Quails. Partridges, and Grouse, and is represented in every por- tion of the world. The members differ greatly from each other in many particulars, and form three rather natural groups or subfamilies, one of which, the Per- dicinae, or Old World Quails and Partridges, are not found upon the Western Hemisphere. American Par- tridges have certain peculiarities, more particularly described in the Appendix, which place them apart and distinguish them from their relatives across the sea, while certain species of Grouse have so wide a dis- tribution, retaining at the same time their specific characters, that they are found in high latitudes through- out the world. This can be said of but very few species of birds known to ornithologists at the present dav. alll IN I RODUCTIOX. XV The three subfamilies — PekdiciN/K, Oiiontopiio- KiN.i:, and TktkaoniN/K — ciimprisiiifj the family Te- K.\oNn>/i:, are known in ornitholnj^ical lanjjuape as the Alc'ctoropodous (Greek ilAeKTojp, doctor, a cock -|- itoikt, |)()iis. a foot) (Jallina\ or, to translate it freely, fowl- f(M»ted p^allinaceous birds, characterized by havinp^ the liiiid toe raised above the plane of the front toes and clear r)f the p^round; differinp^ in this respect from the other section of the order, the pip;^eon-footed ^gallinaceous birds, ni I'eristeropodous (Greek Tcpio-Tcpfi, peristera, a pigeon, -|- TToi'rr, pons, a foot) (iallince, which have the four toes >tinjT^ on the ground, all on an ecjual plane. The irouse are distinguished from all members of the order r)y having the tarsus, or shank, covered with feathers fiiore or less completely, sometimes even the toes are hidden, resembling in this respect certain rapacious hirds, such as Owls and a few species of Mav.>»\-. and |{agles. As they are mostly inhabitants of countr'?s ^vlicre the winters are usually long and severe, this pro- vision of nature affords additional and especial protec- tion against the cold, and guards those parts that are )articularly cposed from the danger of becoming frozen uid probably lost or rendered useless. Tile members of the subfamily Tetraonin.ii: have Tiany characters that distingush them from other birds, |iot the least of which is the gracefully shaped and thor- )itgiily game-like head, high in the rear, or occipital [■cgion, with a broad and ample brain case, sloping gradu- illy forward and contracting toward the junction with the rurvcd and usually powerful bill. The brain is large for [lie size of the birds, and it bestows upon them unusual Intelligence, as shown in their cunning, ability to adapt [hcmselves to their surroundings, and fertility of re- sources in avoiding danger. A Quail, Grouse, or Tur- XVI INTlWDVCriON. m key is far from beinj2^ a stupid bird, and even man, with his wisdom and variety of metho