yet given of it. The female is smaller than the male, and of a monotonous sober brown; but tho male, brown above, is handsomely marked
witli black and white on tlic nock, breast, and wings, and has a distinctive character in the spaces of bare orange-colored skin which occupy the
sides of the neck. Tlieae spaces are usually concealed by the feathci-s, but are susceptible of inflation to a great size, and, when sti-utting
in parade before the females, the neck is puffed out like that of the pouter pigeon. This bird does not iiiliabit the valleys of California,
but belongs to tlie fauna of the interior basin, or, more ¡ivobably, to the Rocky Mountain fauna—tiiat of tlie dry, desert country lying on both
flanks of the Koeky Mountain chain. Wc fli-st met with it liigli iiji on Pit Kivcr, at the point where we left it, and crossed over to the lakes.
Coming into camp at oveniiig, I Imil been attracted by a wiiito ehalk-like bluff, some two miles to tho right of our trail, which I visited and
examined. Near It was a warm spring, which came out of the hillside, nnd spreading over tlio prairie, kept a few acres green and fresh,
strongly contrasting with tlic univci-sal brown of the landscape. In this little oasis, I found some, to me, new flowers, many reptiles, and a
considerable iiniiibor of Sharp-tailed Grouse, of which I killed several; the whole presenting atti-actions sufficiently strong—as we were to
remain encamped one day—to take mo over there early next morning. I had tilled my plant case with flowers, iiad obtained frogs and snakes
and chalky, infusorial earth ciumgli to load clown the boy who accompanied me, aud had enjoyed a fine niorniiig's sport, dropping as many
Grouse on the prairies as we could conveniently carry. EoUowiiig u[) the little stream toward the spring on the liillsidc, a di-y, treeless
surface, with patciies of ‘sage buslics’ {Arlemisia Tridentatu), I was suddenly startled by a groat flutter and rush, nnd a dark bird, that
n[)peared to me as large as a turkey, rose from the ground near me, aud uttering a hoarse hik, kik, flow- off with an irregular, but a rciimrk-
abiy well-sustained flight. I was just then stooping to drink from the little stream, and quite unprepared for game of any kind, least of all
for such a bird, evidently a Grouse, but so big and black, so far exceeding all reasonable dimensions, tliat I did not think of shooting him, but
stood with open eyes, and, doubtless, open mouth, eagerly watoliiag his flight to mark him down. But stop lie did not, so long ns I could
see him, uoiv iiaiiping, now sailing, he kept on his course, till he disapjicarcd behind a hill a mile away. I was of course greatly chagrined
by his escape; but knowing that, given one Grouse, it is nsnally not dilBcult to find another, 1 commenced looking a b o n t/o r tlio mate of the
one I had lost, ily seareli was not a long one; almost immediately she rose from under a sago bush, with a noise like a wliirlwind, not to
fly a mile before stopping to look around, as the cock had done, but, by a fovtiinatc shot, falling helpless to the ground. No deerstalker
ever felt more trinmplmnt enthusiasm while standing over the prostrate body of a buck, or fisherman, when tho silvery sides of a salmon
sparkled in his liiiuling not, than I felt, as I picked up this great aud, to mo, unknown bird. I afterward ranged the hillsides for hours, with
more oi- less success, waging a war on tliese birds, which I found to be quite abundant, but very strong-winged and dilficuit to kill. I repeatedly
flushed them not more than ten yards from mo, and, as they rose, poured my whole charge right and left into them, knocking out feathers,
pcihajis, but not killing tlic bird, which, in defiance of all my liopes ami expectations, would carry off my shot to such a distance that I could
not follow him, even did I know ho would never rise again. Here as elsewhere I found these birds coiifiiiod to the vicinity of the ‘ sage bushes,'
from under which tlioy are usually sprang.
"A few days later, on the shores of Wright and Rliett lakes, wc found them very abimdaiit, aud killed all wo cared to. A very fine male
whicli I killed there was passed by nearly tbo whole party within thirty feet in open ground. I noticed him perhaps as soon as he saw iis,
and waited to watch his movements. As the train approached, he sank down on tlie ground, depressing his head, ami lying as motionless as
a stick or root, which he greatly rc.scinbled. After tlie jiarty had passed, I moved toward him, when lie depressed his head till it rested
on tlio ground, aud evidently made himself as small as possible. He did not move till I had approaolied to witliin fifteen feet of him, when
he arose and I sliot him. He was in fine plumage, aud weighed over five pounds. AYo contiinicd to meet with tlic Sage Hen, wlioiicvor wc
crossed sago plains, till wc reached the Columbia. To the westward of the Cascade range this bird probably docs not exist, as all its habits
and preferences seem to lit it for tlic occnpauoy of the sterile and anhydrous regions of tlie centra! desert. Its flesh is dark and, particularly
ill old birds, highly flavored « ith wormwood, which to most persons is no proof of excellence. The yonug bird, if parboiled and stewed, is
very good ; but, as a «-hole, this is inferior fov the table to any other species of American Grouse.”
Among the specimens before me, is a very curious hybrid, between this species aud Pediaecaeies Cobmhianus. I t was obtained by Mr,
John Pearson, on the military road from tho AValla AValla River to Port Benton, and is marked on its label as No, 17,666 of the Smithsonian
Institution collection. It is about the size of the Sharp-tail Gronse, but has the cliaractoristic markings of the Sage Hen upon its head,
neck, wings, and tail. Tho range of this species seems to be restricted to the desert |)lains which extend on both sides of tho Rocky Mountains,
and these birds arc ahvays more almndant «-hcvcvcr the Arftmisia grows. Tlie male may be described as follows: General color of back, light
brown, each feather mottlcil and crossed irregularly with black and dark broivn, and having also three hai-s of ycUowish «-bite, one near the
tip, the other two higher up, c<iindistaiit from each other. The first of these is often almost obsolete. Some of the feathere in the centre of
the back have l.road bars of black, which cross and include the shaft, appearing like blotches upon the lighter ground color. This confused
irregular marking extends throughout the upper tail coverts, and includes the two centre tail featliei-s, Tho tail is cnncate, longer than tlie
wings, composed of twenty feathers, acute and graduated, and with the cxceiition of the two centre ones, is of a dark brown color, crossed
with irregular yellowish white lines, becoming fewer aud a t greatci- distances apart, upon tho outer feathers. Upper part of head and neck
crossed with zig-zag black and dark brown lines on a white ground in a very irrogiilav manner. The wings are of a lighter brown than tho
hack, crossed similarly with black, but having the shafts of the feathers all white, making them veiy conspicnou.s. The ¡irimarics are a dark
broivn, lighter on tlieir outer webs, ivitli dark brown shafts. Tho throat aud under part of the neck is black interspoi-scd witli white lines
and spots. A white band crosses the lower part of the neck, and extends over the sides, covei-iiig the position of tlic gniav sacks. The featlicrs
on this portion, especially those on tho side, are very rigid, flveriapping each other like scaics, and in some specimens crackle like parcliment
when tho hand is passed over tliem. The lippcr part of the breast is white, with the shafts black and stiff. Tlic entire under parts, from the
breast, arc black, the under tail coverts black tipped with white. The black of the belly has a border of white blotched with black, while the
flanks are mottled like tho back. The fcatheis of the thighs and tarsi arc light brown, mottled with a darker bron ii. The bill is thick and
strong, black, with the nasal fossie extending nearly two tliirds its length. The female resembles the male, but is smaller, and is without the gular
sacks. The black of tho lower parts is not so c.xtensive, neither are tho stiffened shafts of the neck feathers so conspicuous, while the bars
and mottling of the upper parts is much greater.
The plate represents a male and female about three fourths the natui-al si
siilcvably in size, some being nearly half as large again as the one represented.
Different specimens, particularly among the males, vary o