Forster, and others; and in their decision Gmeli®, Eatham, and all
subsequent writers have acquiesced. Both a è ^ rw e r e tolerably
well figured' by Buffon, as they had also m en previously by
Edwards; but we-feel justified in saying thàrnbne of tifieir platès
will hear a comparison with the present;‘. .f j
The: Spotted Grous is well, èharacteriized by ifs much rounded
tail, of but sixteen broad and rounded feathers, and may be at
once distinguished from all others buythe large and conspicuous
white spots ornamenting the breast, flanks, and undèr taîl-côvèrts. <
I t has been inaccurately compared with *£he European Tetrao
bonasia, from which it differs very materially, » i t even being of
the same subgenus, and approaching nearer, if indeed it can be
compared with any, to the Tprao urogallm^
This, bird is common at Hudson’s bay throughout .the year, there
frequenting plains and low grounds, though in other parts of
America it is.found on mountains, even of great elevation. It
inhabits Canada in winter, and was seen by Vieillot in great
numbers <Ppttg the month of October in Nova-Seotifi. Lewis
and Clalrk' met with it on the elevated range of the Rocky
Mountains, and'brought back from their western expedition a male
specimen now deposited in the Philadelphia Museum, where it has
been exhibited under the pame of Louisiana Grous. This, as
truly obfèrved by Say, first entitled it to rank among' the birds of
the. Uniltd States. But -the Rocky Mountains are not the only
rÉÊÈÊÊÊSÈMP United- States territory where the Spotted GroUs is
fqhnd^We have traced it with certainty as a winter Visitant of the
northern extremity of Maine, Michigan, and even of the state of
I|ew-¥ork; tvh.e#e, though very rare, it is found in the counties of
Lewis and Jefferson. On the frontiers of Maine it is abundant, and
has beën 'sqen, by Professor Holmes of the Gardiner Lyceum, near
Lake Umbagog and others. In these countries the Spotted Grous is
tnown by'the Various names of Wood Partridge, Swamp Partridge,
Gedar Partridge, and Spruce Partridge.' The American settlers of
Canada distinguish it by the first.' .La Michigan and New-York
it goes generally by the second. In Maine it bears the. third,
and in other parts of New-England, • New-Brunswick &c., more
prÔperly the last. We have bee® informed by General Henry
A4M5- Dearborn, that they are sent from Nova-Scotia and New-
Brunswick to Boston in a.frozen state; as in the north they are
known to be so kept hanging throughout the winter, and when
wanted for-Aise, they need only be taken down and placed in cold
water to thaw. General' Dearborp, to whom we are much- indebted
for the information which his interestdor science has induced him
voluntarily to furnish, further mentions, that he has heard, from
his father that during the progress of the expedition Under Arnold
through the wilderness to Quebec in these Grouse were
occasionally shot between the-tide waters of Kennebeck river and
the sources of the Chaudière, now forming part of the state of
Maine. Fine specimens of the Spotted Grous have been sent to
the Lyceum' o f Natural History of Nèw-York from the Sault de
Ste: Marie, by Mr. Schoolcraft, whose exertions1 in availing
himself of the opportunities which his residence affords him for
the advancement of every branch of zoology, merit the highest
pràise. He informs us that this bird is common from Lake
Huron to the sources of the Mississippi, being called' in the
Chipéway language, Mushcodasee, i. e., Partridge of the-Mains.
The favourite haunts df the- Spotted Grous are pine woods
and dark cedar swamps, in winter resorting to the deep forests,, iff
spruce to feed on the tops and leaves of these evergreens, as
well as on the seeds contained in their cones, and on juniper
berries. Hence their flesh, though a t all times good, is much
better in summer, as in winter it has a strong -flavopr< of spruce.
At Hudson’s bay, where they are called indifferently Wood or
Spruce Partridge, they are seen throughout the year. Like other
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