their \vay beneath the; surface, that they often, suddenly take wing
several yards from th,4 spot whereo-they entered, and almost always
in a different-direction.from that which is expected.
Like the rest^f^its kind, the Sharp-tailed Grous breeds on the
ground near some bush, making a • loose nest with grass, and
lining it with feathers.. Here the female lays from nine to thirteen
eggs, which are white spotted with blackish. ►, The?.. y.oung are
hatched about the middle of Jyiie; they utter a piping noise,
, somewhat like, chickens. Attempts have been repeatedly made
to, dom.estie.ate them, hut have as constantly failed, all the young,
though, carefully nursed by their stepmother, the common-herb
dying one after another, probably for want of suitatdejfood«, This
species has-several c rie s;. the cock has .a* shrill crowing note,
rather feeble, and both se!xes when disturbed, or whilst on , the
wing, repeat, frequently the cry of cack, cock.. This well known
sound conducts the h u n te r to their hiding place, and,-they are also
detected, by producing with their small, lateral, rigid tail-feathers,
a curious.-noise resembling that made by a winnowing fan. ‘When
in good order, one of these'Grouse will :weigh upwards of tw’o
pounds, being very plump. .«Their flesh, is of a light brown colour,
and very compact, though at the same time exceedingly juicy and
well tasted,, being far superior in .this • respect to the common
Ruffed, and approaching in excellence the delicious Pinnated
Grous,
• The adult male Sharp-tailed Grous in full plumage is sixteen
inches long and twenty-three in breadth. The bill is little more
than an inch long, blackish, pale at the base of the lower mandible,
and with it*s ridge entering between the small feathers covering
the npstrils: these are blackish edged with pale rusty,.: the latter
predominating; the irides are hazel. Thje general colour of the
bird is. a mixture of white, and different shades of dark and light
rusty on a rather deep and glossjvblackish ground: the feathers
of the head and neck .have but a .single band, of; rusty, and are
Mpped with white; «those h© w e v e n , drówn are iSof a much
deeper and mom glossy bfeeki*. with a -single"marginal Spot-of
rusly .on/endh side;,*1 aijÉdva'-JvÉpy'faint tip^of the same; forming a
tolerably ppifeblack spaice wm th c ’ifcnp’Qf tithe .head.« i The- feathers
between the'epe and bill, those aronifd-the 4y© above and; beneath,
on»1th e fsides.#éi!ï-thev!head>,.amdii0n ithe throat,«a®eiS'om)w.barft: öf<a
dingy yellowish Whites')! with a small black- 'spbfc' > on .p>adh#®6dp,
giving these parts a dedted* appeamnee^but the' dots' fewer and
smaller on the throat. The d?eat$Lefes£of the bach and*, rump ;are
black, transversely varied \ o n . thei^psgin? and« at tip with pale
b#^^ti.-^s|^-'sprirfËled'with:hlaefc,:i!f© |^m ^;W * l^ ^^4!‘'‘I®^t,^ ;:#^'
black and« rusty on the wb©le*w>pp&r- partsshofi, Ifhebjiudj. th e 1 long
loóse-webbed* upper taihooverts being; similar, -but decidedly and
almost regularly banded with rusty,
this colour being., there un-ueh lighter andt«8^pr®tobb%*tb white,
and evetB-e#nstitntinig tbe'-ground colour. - The breast is-browDl,
approaehi0g;i0hoeolate^©a@h'featherhfeing-teiUniuatgd'byaf«white
feinge, with a large arroW-Tsteaped Spot of :tbatcolour on the middlis
oif^phiifeather, so that when th% plumageuM^stols®é®*tKe*-jtea'feh;ei5s
appear white'with black crescents?! and n ttt geöéralglfd^^Éted
so.
descend become longer and narrower, the .'toa>n'@hf©S -fopmi-ngv the
angle coming closer and closer to each other till the spot; becomes
a mere white streak along the^shUft, but at the« same time the
white marginal fringe widens so'-iconsdderably that the feathers of
the belly may be properly callèd» white, being brown only at their
base, but -the shaft is brown
heart-shaped spotVfeible onsthe middle.‘hTherheart-shaped' brown
spots of the bely^betnap#.sihi’ferydmalil at the vent, that this- part
appears pure white with a fewhinry small blackish spots : the
long flank feathers are broadly banded with black and white.