Within the territorial scope of this work there are seven species of
the grouse family, though only four of these are in any way common. As
the wild turkey is confined to the southern extremity of the Pacific
Coast hunting grounds, so are the grouse principally found in the
northern sections. I have met with a few dusky grouse (=Dendragapus
obscurus=) in the mountains of Arizona, but they are by no means
plentiful. There were a few and possibly is yet an occasional sooty
grouse (=Dendragapus obscurus fuliginosus=) in the mountains of
southern California, but grouse in sufficient numbers to furnish any
kind of sport are not found much south of Yosemite valley in the
Sierras, or south of Humboldt county in the Coast range. An occasional
pair or small flock, however, may be met with considerable south of
the points named.
The grouse is a northern bird, extending into far colder regions than
any other subfamily of the gallinaceous group. The ptarmigan, of
course, are grouse.
[Illustration: SOOTY GROUSE (Dendragapus obscurus fuliginosus)]