The female of the Gofck of the Plains-,, represented in the.plate
of one half the natural «aseyijs from twenty-eight to thiKtydtoohes
im length. The bill ia tone inch and a quarter long, perfectly
similar #o that of 'J l urqg-a//«s, perhaps a trifle less stout, and with
the base^if this remarkable character he not feeeidental*>in our
specimen) farther produced among the feathers of the front. ^ i e
w%le^plumagehfeb^&*is blackish, most minutely dotted, mottled,
and sprinkled with whitish, tinged\here and'there with; Very pale
yellowish rusty, hardly worth mentioning: on the head,-nnd all
the neck, the'leathers being small minutely crossed teansversely
with blaclish and whitish lines', gi^es 1 the; >plumage -quitf^a
minutelyi.dot*M 'a|),p©afande: the s^eljtuliar line4 isV: slightly
indicated by more wHftish; %n a-spot above tile eye; in the spaee
between the- bill and eye,-and along the mouth beneath, the black
predominates, being nearly pure: on-the throat, on the ebnfrhryi
it is the,white that pre^lS;fSo as to; be whitish dotted withiblac-fey
on *thq, lower portion-of the neck the black again is the* prevailing:
colour, the black feathers there being nearly tipped with grayish;
the sides b f the neck are pure white for a space; ffojn the louver
portion of the neck, to %hb upper taibcoverts inclusively, the back,
scapulars, Tfeing-jcoverts, and secondaries, the' blackish feathers
have each two or three yellowish white bands, Which are broader
e ^ o ia lly on ,the upper part of the /back, and-are moreover;
sprinkled with white somewhat tinged with rusty: the scapulars
and wing;covyrts are* besides shafted with white somewhat dilating
towards the point, the scapulars being of a 'deepet blac]$; the
spurious wing and primaries are plain dusky with paler edges, the
outer with some indications of whitish dots (generally .found in
Grouse^ on the outer vane, but nb regular white spots ; the •
secondaries are tipped with white,- andthoseWhich-are next to
the primaries nearly plain on their: inner web; the «.primaries
are Bather- slender, .the inferior surface of the wings is of" a
very pale silvery gray-; the under wing-coverts and long axillary
feathers being pure silvery wtópe, excepting on; the lining Of the
wing* vj^iel^ir ■ d'tók]§ blackish. Theiiwings are twelve» inches
Ifcjgfei The^reasÉy'ïS'igrayishj fSQmewhat mottled- with black; on
each.side below if a pure dfliite space, some of the feathers of
whifch. are tipped*, or banded with'black^the large feathers of the
flanks are blackish shafted with
bands and sprinkled with -yellowish.: a- broad* ©iblong mtch Éf
deep brownish blaok occupies the whole-of thé belly ahd vlntjj
the outer feathers being shafted with white, and broadly white -at
the point of their outer webs. The femorals and sm#ll feathers
óf -the- tarsus* extending between-.-the toes, are yellowish j gray
minutely waved with blackish: the t&rsusOTiea&ures two ixlohes;
the ;tefès* are: dusky: black, and the pp^tinatsedi row- of processes-
long,: strong, and dingy whitish; the nills blackish. Tne whole
base of the plumage, with< the exception of that r.of tne neek
beneath (Which is white,-) is of a dnsky gray. The tail js* Sen
lnches^slong,- and ^ ^ n lo u r'Js^ as well asyfitsacoverts, in harmony,
with the rest of the plumage; the ground colour. is blackish, an<k
oioseed or rather mottled with bands of whitish spots disposed?
irregularly, between whiehi; are small additional darker spots; the
two middle ones, are mottled all over, but the others are aljnoft
immaculate on their inner vane and at the point; hence the lower
surface of the unexpanded tail is o f, a silvery gray, much darker
than that of the wings; at the very tip of the tail-feathers; the
middle excepted; appears a very small whitish spot, thé two outer
pairs being rather broadly. yellowish white, dotted with brackish
on that part. f-Thp tail is composed of twenty feathers, the
'highest number, ever met with in any tribe of birds. Although it
appears strongly cuneiform; owing to the remarkable shape and
curve of the feathers, it is when expanded and propel-ly examined1,
nothing more than much rounded, the two in the middle, which