122 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 61, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



Lagopus lagopus: Willow Ptarmigan 

 Lagopus lagopus o/oscens/'s 

 Aleut: Alladek (Wetmore) 



The willow ptarmigan, distributed throughout the Alaska Pen- 

 insula, is represented by two races, L. 1. alascensis and L. I. muriei. 

 Gabrielson and Lincoln (1949) referred the subspecies on the 

 Alaska Peninsula proper to alascensis, as distinct from the races 

 on nearby islands. 



Alaska willow ptarmigan were observed at the west end of 

 the Alaska Peninsula in 1925. About the middle of May, the 

 males were strutting and crowing in a lively fashion at Izembek 

 Bay. On June 14, very few females were seen. Evidently, they 

 were incubating, because on June 22 I found a nest of nine eggs, 

 pipped, ready to hatch, and late in July there were broods of 

 young on the marsh at Moff et Bay. 



Concerning the boldness of males at this time, I find the follow- 

 ing in my field notes for June 3 : 



The female was sulking among the alder stems on the shore of a pond 

 and I stood on a rise nearby. The male rushed between me and his mate, 

 growling, puffing out his chest, and elevating his combs. He was a splendid 

 bird as he strutted, following his mate as she sneaked along in the brush 

 but keeping out in the open himself, evidently to attract attention away 

 from the female. I was within 15 feet of him at times. 



On July 3, Donald Stevenson watched a pair of ptarmigan pro- 

 testing the approach of a brown bear. The bear had been walk- 

 ing across a gentle slope toward the mountains and evidently had 

 disturbed a brood of young birds. Both parents were pretending 

 to be crippled before the huge intruder. The bear made several 

 lunges at the birds, but finally continued on its way. 



Lagopus lagopus muriei 



Aleut: Alladak (Wetmore) 



This ptarmigan occurs on Kodiak Island, Unga, Nagai, Little 

 Koniuji, Simeonof, and Popof Islands of the Shumagins, and 

 Atka, Unalaska, and Unimak of the Aleutians. 



This willow ptarmigan was described by Gabrielson and 

 Lincoln in 1949, as follows: ''As compared with L. /. alascensis, 

 this race is much redder and darker when skins in comparable 

 plumages are compared. L. /. alascensis is buffy; the new race, 

 muriei, more reddish and darker, near walnut brown, while 

 alexandrae [of Baranof and adjacent islands] is dark brown to 

 bister." 



As to distribution, they commented: "Somewhat to our sur- 



