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Show 18U Lewi:; a1tlt CLad..:e's ExtH'thtwu f. Thr g'I'OUSC Ol' prairie-hen. rrhi. i peculiarly the Ill ~ lJabitnnt oft h • g•·eat plains oft he'Colum hi a, and docs not diff( w fJ'OJil Oaosr of tlu· upper portion of th<' ~lissom·i. rriHHail i JWintrd, liar f'eathc•·s in the ccn1cr, and much longer than dtost! on the !:lillcs. This species differs csscntia1ly iu the fot·mation of the plumage f1·om tltosc ol' the Illinois, which lJavc theh~ tales COmJlOSed of reathct•s of an Cf}tlal length. In the winter season this bird is booted ro the first joint of tho toes; the toes a•·e curiously bordered on thcia· lowe•· edges wit.h narrow hard scales~ w hicl1 at·c placed very close to each othrl', and extend horizontalJy about one eighth of an inch on cuciL side of the toes, aduing much 1o the broadness of' t)IC feet, a security which bounteous uaturc laas fm·nishcd iheu• for passing over the snows with more case, and wLat is Yct·y remarlmbJe, in the summer season t1aesc scales droll from the feet. TJais Lir·d lms foUl' toes on each root, tbc colom· is a mixtu•·c of dal'k brown, reddish and yellowish lu·owu, with white confusedly mixed. In thi~ assmnblago of coioul's, the r<•ddisJJ brown prevail~ most on the uppe•· par·ts of the body, wing , and tail, and the white umlc•·ncath tho lwJiy, anti the lower pa1·ts ol' the breast and tail. Theso birds asso<'iate in large ilocks in autumn and winteJ>, anti C\'en in summer are seen in companies or five o•· six. 'flH'Y fce(l Oil grass, insects, leaves of Ytll'iOIIS sJu·uus in the 'fllains, and OJI ilac SC<.•ds of SCV('l'al sp<>cics of spetJ. and wild rye, which grow in l'i<'hcr soils. In wintct' fhcir food con· l-ists of the bttds of the willow and cotton~ wood, and native Lcr·l'ies. 2. 'J'hc cock of' the plaius is fount! on the plains ofthe Columbia. iu great ahundam~e, from the cntt·ancc of' tho south· east fol'}~ of th<' Columbia to that of (;]al'ke's J'ivcr. It is about two anu tht•ec qmu•tcl' inches the si:~;e of Olll' oa•dinary turkey: Ow beak is Jar~e, shol't, coYct·ed and convex, the upper cxocetling the lowet• chop; the uostJ·ils at•o l:u·go, and 1he back black; the colout' is an uuifo•·m mixt.m·o of a dal'k brown, resembling ihe <tove, and a reddiflh and yellowi~k f!j) the JJlissou11. i8J brown, with some sm~ll black specks. In this mixture the darl~ brown prevails, ami has a slight cast of the tlovc-eolour; the wider side of the large feathers of the wings are of a dark brown only. 'l'hc tail is composed or nineteen feathers, and that inserted in the centre is the longest, the remaining nino on each side gradually dimiuish. rl'be tail when folded comes to a veJ'Y sharp point, and appears proportionably long, when eompa•·cd with the other parts of the botly. In the act of flyjng, the tail resembles that of the wilft pi~r.nn, although the molion of the wings is mu<'h like that. of the pheasant and oorousc. This bird has four tot•s on each foot, of which the 0 hindmost is the shortest, and the leg is covered with fea-thers about half the distance between the knee and foot. Whrn the wing is expanded there arc wide openings between its feathers, the plumage being too narrow to fill up tJ1e Ya~ ancy: the wings are sh01·t in comparison wiOl those of the grouse or pheasant. The habits of this bi•·d t•csemble those (If the grouse, excepting t1•a.t his food is that of the leaf and buds of Hw pulpy-leafetl thorn. Captain Lewis did not remember to have seen tlus bird but in the neighbourhood of that shrub, which they sometimes feed on, the )Wieldy pear. The gizzard is la.rg<', and mueh Jess comp1·esset.l and muscular than in most fowls, and (lrl'l'f'clly t•csemhles a maw. 'Vhcn this biJ·tl flies hr. utters a cackling sound, llOt unlike tha.t of the dunghill f'ow 1. 'l'he Jlesh of the cock of the plains is dark, and only tolcrahle in point or flavour, and is uot so pa· Jatcable either as that or the llhca.sant or grouse. 'fhc feathers about the hca.<l •u·e pointe&) alHl stiff ami short, fine and stiff about the cars; at the base of the bcal" several hail'S arc io be seen. rrhis 11irtl is invariably fonnu in the plains. s. The pheasant, of which we distinguish the large blaci~ and white pheasant., tbe small Sl>eeldct.ljlhcasant, the small l,lrown pheasant: 1.1"'hc large black and white pheasant dilfct'S but little f•·om those of the United States; the b1·own is rather brightt.' l', and has a more reddish tint. 'l'his bird has eighteen |