BONASA STLVESTEIS. S t e p h .
II,\ZEL GROÜSE.
TETIUO BOXASU. U n n , S y l. S . t , vol. i , p. 275 (9lh .d lt< ).-G m rt, S ;,l. S . t , ,ol. I , p. 7 5 3 .-L .tk , I n i O m th , toI. ii., p. « 0 . -
Brce, Birds of Eur., vol. iii., p. 203.
TETRAO CANU8. Kills. Fauna Skania.
LA GELIKOTTE. Buff., Plan. Enlum., pi. 474, 475.
LA GELIKOTTE. Poule des Coudriers, Cuv., Ri-g. Anim., vol. i., p. 448.
TETRAS GELIKOTTE. Liun., Pig. e t Gall,, vol. iii., p. 174.
TETRAO BETCLIKUS. Scop, Ann., i„ No. 172,—Gmel, Syst. Kat„ vol. i.
749.—Lath,, Ind. Ornith., vol. ii., p. 637.
BIRCH GROUSE. Lath., Syn., iv., p. 735, 5.
HAZEL HEN. Will, Birds (Ang.), p. 175.
BONASIA EUR0P.J;A. Gould, B. of Eur., pi. 251.
B0K4SIA SYLVESTRIS. Bon., Rev. Ornith. Eur., p. 174.
BONASA SYLVESTRIS. Gray, Gen. of Bird.?, vol. iii.-Ib „ Cat. Birds, Brit, Mus., Part, n i., p. 4G (1844).-Bon„ Geog. and Comp. List
Birds, p. 43, No. 202,-Steph. Shaw, Gen. Zool, xi. (1819).—Elliot, Proc. Acad. Nat. Scien. (18C4).
The Hazel Grouse is the only representative of this gem« found iu the Old World. I t is pretty generally distributed througbout
Europe aud Asia, its range extending from Prance on tho YVest, through Sweden, Norway, and Germany, as far as the River Lena m
Siberia nud according to Dr. Schrcnck in his recent “ Reiscn und Porschungcn in Amur Land,” it is common a t aU seasons of tho year
St of the Okhot.-k Sea to the Bay of Iladschi, and also in the island of Saghalien, as weU as from the southcru o from tho mouth of tho
Amoor to its source iu Duaria. In Great Britain il
lives, is partial to the sides of hills and mountaius.
■t found. I t frequents tho birch and pine forests, aud, like its American rclasess
The species is monogamous, nud does not, I believe, po
two particular lie the principal differences iu their habits,
flight is uot generally continued to any great distance.
the peculiarity of drumming, like o
They rise from tho grouud with the
r birds of this genua; and in these
ame loud whirring noise, but tbeir
The breeding season commences in April, and the sexes separate as soon as incubation c ; the males keeping by themselves
leaving the brood to the care of the female, but returning when the young are about half grown. The usual number of eggs is tcu, of a
yellowish color spotted with brown. Their flesh, like aU of this genus, is white and tender, aud is geucraUy considored among tho most
delicate of the Grouse family. , « •
The Hazel Grouse is rather a small bird, approaching nearest iu size to our B. Umbclloidcs, and is destitute of tho rutt so conspicuous
in all the other species. In Brcc's '• Birds of Euro¡ie,” in the article upon this species, U a translation from Dr. Schrcnck’s work above
lueationed, a portion of which I fake tho liberty of inserting here :
. Scarcely any locality can be named where it U noffound, yet it appears principally in the north of tho Amoor, ou the
bordcm of rivers in the mixed forests of birch, aspen, poplar, alder, aud willow bushes, nud in the south principally iu tho light-follagod
woods and the underwood which grows along the rocky banks of tho rivers. Not unfrequcntly, also, I have met with it, in winter and
summer, ou the willow-grown islands, or on such shores as those of the Amoor, Gorin, and Us-suri. Iu as great numbers did I find tho
Hazel Grouse in the wildest parts of the Amoor Laud, where it was by no means shy. In tho Nikolaev Posten, nud on tho River Tjrny,
iu Sa-hulieu I have been able to shoot several times a t a paii' of individuals iu a tree before the othoia flew away. In Saghahcu, audou
tho Gorin, they flow up before us, aud kept iu a cireuit round about us. In summer, when the noise of our movements roused thc.u,
they often settled down on a tree close by the river, enabling us to shoot them from our hiding places. They were among tho daily
contents of our game bag in the Amoor Laud, M-here, as woU as in tho Bay of llailschi aiul the snoiv fields of Saghalien, they gave us as
good sport as iu the light and sunny oak hedges on the Ussuri. In tho summer of 1855 I found a nest with eggs on the borders of tho
Lake of Kidsi. I t was iu a fir wood, nt the foot of a tree, concealed iu the moss aud brushwood. The eggs w
0 of tlie usual dark
yellow, with many browu spots nnd points, and were hatched ou the 14th of June. On the 28th of July I
with a famUj- just
flciiged a t Pachalc, near the mouth of tho Goriu, iu tlio leafy underwood of
forest. The moulting of the Hazel Grouse takes
place at Nikolajev Posten iu August and September, Ou tho 23d of August I found the mouKiiig far advanced, :
feather fi'cslily grown. It was quite concluded ou tlie 1st of October.”
d every wiug : d tail