of the Genera Tttrao and Ortyx. 147 



to the north, it is more plentiful ; and it is occasionally seen on 

 similar altitudes contiguous to the lakes of the Columbia. On the 

 north-west coast it exists as low as 45° 7', the position of Mount 

 Hood. This is the same bird as the Scotch Ptarmigan, and has 

 been distinguished by Captain Sabine, in the Supplement to 

 Captain Parry's First Voyage, as distinct from the next species. 



T. rupestris of Gmelin. I did not meet with this bird on the 

 Rocky Mountains, and therefore suppose it is confined to the 

 northern parts of the continent and the adjacent islands, from 

 which it was brought in abundance by the officers of the diffe- 

 rent Arctic Voyages. — For the differences between this and 

 the preceding species, I refer to the accurate examination of 

 Captain Sabine in the work above referred to, as well as to 

 Mr. Sabine's Appendix to Captain Franklin's First Narrative. 

 I am informed by Mr. Sabine, that this is the bird commonly 

 met with in the northern parts of Europe, where it is erroneously 

 considered as T. Lagopus, which species he believes to be ex- 

 clusively confined to the mountains of Scotland and to the 

 northern parts of America. 



T. Saliceti. This bird, so common in Hudson's Bay, appears 

 rare in the Rocky Mountains. I saw only one pair there ; it 

 did not come under my notice on the north-west coast. 



T. Canadensis. As far as I know, this bird has not yet been 

 found to the west of the central ridge of the continent. A solitary 

 individual is occasionally seen contiguous to the eastern base of 

 that ridge, near the sources of Athabasca river, in 55° north lati- 

 tude ; but the species does not become in anywise numerous until 

 we reach the low woody countries in a similar parallel. About 

 Lesser Slave Lake they abound, and on the woody places of 



u 2 Sascatch- 



