§
S I
P) a
FA LC ll’ENNIS HAKTLAUBII. E l l i o t .
SIDERIAN Sl’RUCi; GROUSE.
TETRAO CANADENSIS, var FKANKIANII. Midden., Sihcr. Reis,, banil. ii., thcii. 2.
TETRAO FALCIPENNIS. Hart., Jouni. fur Oruith,, vol. iii. (1855), p. 39.
FALCIPENNIS IIARTLAUBII. Elliot, Pi oc. Acad, Nat. Scicn. (ISCi).
This species wa.s discovered by Middcndorf, who descrbicd it in the work referred to above, as Tetrao Canadensis, believing it to he the same
as our Sprncc Grouse; but Dr. Hartlaub obtaining some specimens, a t once perceived them to be different, ami named it Tctrao Falcipenni.s.
Middcndorf says: " I first saw this bird on the Ujau, that is, right among the steep spurs of tho Stanowaj Mountains. It is of very frequent
occurrence ou these slojics, and particularly in the neighborhood of Udskoj-Astnig,”
" Fi’om this regiou, tho first intelligence of this bird was received as narrated by Stcller, according to whom, it was called by the inhabitants
o f Yakoutsk the wood-cock of the mountains.”
* * • * " Onr bird occurs on the entire southern coast of the sea of Ocliotst, and also all over the Stanowaj Mountaius, ami even over
the southern slopes of the same as far as the region of the Shilka, Thus, this wood-hen is found on the Tiski, on the sources of the Kile, and
even on the middle portion of the course of the U r; although it is not seen on the Lima or on the Oldo, which may be considered as forming it.s
most sontliern limit.”
“ IIow far north this species may be fonnd is unknown to me, but Wosiioseiiky met this bird near Ajan, and I conversed with inhabitants of
Yakutsk who had seen it on the road between Yaknt.sk and Ochotsk."
Tliis Gronse beai-s some resemblance to the Canaee Franilinii, hut has many characters to distinguish it from that species, as a glance at
tlie plate will testify; but it differs from the members of the genus Chnace, by having the first four primaries, falcale: this being the sole instance
among the Gallinaceous birds whore this peculiarity is found, excepting the species of the genus Penelope.
As this is such a very marked and unusual occurrence, I have deemed it worthy in this instance of generic distmctnes-s, and have therefore
pro]iosed the term Falcipcnnis; anil in compliment to the eminent ornithologist n-lio first detected this bird as of a distinct species, liave given t<.
t the name Hartlanhii, which I sinoercly trust it may always be permitted to bear.
The very spirited drawing of Falcipcnnis llartlaubii, which adorns this work, is the production of Mr, YVolfs pencil, and gives a iicrfect
representation of the bird in its native wilds.
The fcinaic, as described by Middcndorf, hears some rcsonililanco to that of Canadensis, lint " has the yellow of the throat and iqipcr ¡lart of
the breast more cxtciiilcd and spotted like the back, and is without the brown spots on the end of the tail,”