230 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Xo. 7,0998, 9, ad., Niantalik, Cumberland Gulf, August 10, 1870. 



sso. 20345, 9 , ad., Sukkertoppeu, West coast of Greenland. 



All of these birds are labeled L. rupestris, but are so entirely different 

 in plumage that they should be referred to L. reinhardti Brehm, or else 

 to L. ulandorum Fabek, should these two prove to be the same bird, a 

 statement which I am not preplired to make, as there are no accessible 

 specimens of the Iceland bird with which to comi^are them. 



The birds from Niautalik and Sukkertoppeu present such great dis- 

 tinctions from the corresponding plumage of riqwstris, that they should 

 be recognized as distinct from nipestris. The pattern of coloration in 

 these three birds is not appreciably different in the adult birds from the 

 two localities separated by an expanse of water, which would hardly 

 admit them being considered as a rare bird in those respective localities. 



The crown, hind neck, back, rump, and upper tail-coverts black, each 

 feather distinctly edged with white, many of the feathers obscurely 

 marked with short bars of light fulvous-gray, most conspicuous on 

 wing-coverts and sides of neck The entire lower parts black, with 

 biifly bars distinctly alternating with the black bars, each feather tipped 

 with gray. The under tail-coverts show the bars very plainly. The 

 breeding i^lumage of this bird is very similar to the corresponding 

 plumage of the female of Ganace canadensis. 



4. Lagopus mutus atkhensis Turnev. 



Catalogue No. 85597. <?. May, 29, 1879. Ground color of upper 

 parts light olive-brown, altogether lighter than in the corresponding 

 plumage of rupestris. The whole surface very finely and densely ver- 

 miculated with black. The tips of many of the feathers lighter and 

 more grayish, with very narrow crescentic terminal bar of whitish. The 

 ground color of head and nape above is more yellowish than that of the 

 back. The crown spotted with black. Ground color of foreneck, jugu- 

 lum, and ujjper breast light fulvous or yellowish-brown, distinctly and 

 somewhat regularly barred with black. The upper breast, sides, and 

 flanks similar, but more finely and distinctly barred with dusky. The 

 wings, lower breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts pure white. The 

 inferior upper tail-coverts in this example are little lighter than the 

 rump, simply the obliteration of the prevailing ground color of the back. 

 Tail black and decidedly truncate (not rounded as in riipestris), and 

 narrowly tipped with white. 



No. 85598. $ . Same locality, June 7, 1879. 



This example of few days later plumage presents no appreciable differ- 

 ence from the one of May 29, 1879. The extent of the white on the up- 

 per breast is little greater. The dusky shaft of the wing quills is quite 

 conspicuous in both examples. The black patch from base of bill is con- 

 tinuous around the eye, and embraces the auricular region. The tar- 

 sus and toes are only moderately feathered, and have but few bristly 

 terminating feathers. The claws are long and narrow, black at their in- 



