350 Dr. A. Hall on the Mammals and Birds 



Ventral aspect. A semicircle of white meets on the throat, 

 commencing at the auriculars ; feathers of throat black tipped 

 with white; those of the upper and lower parts of the breast 

 black ; sides of breast black, broadly tipped with white, meeting 

 on the centre of the breast causing a banded appearance ; feathers 

 of body and vent black tipped with white ; flank feathers black 

 waved with chesnut, and a streak of white down the shafts ; tail 

 coverts black broadly tipped with white. 



3rd and 4th primaries longest; 1st and 8th equal; 2nd and 

 6th equal ; quills incurved, dusky brown, the six first primaries 

 edged with white on the outer vanes. Length 14 inches ; alar 

 expanse 20j inches. The female is 13 inches long, and is much 

 lighter coloured. In her the black breast and throat are wanting, 

 and generally the black of the dorsal aspect is supplanted by a 

 chesnut or bright ferruginous; the secondaries and scapulars 

 have streaks of cream white on their inner vanes ; the rump is 

 waved with grey; the two central tail feathers barred with ches- 

 nut, which is imperfectly continued to the outer vanes of the 

 other tail feathers ; the feathers of the belly and breast barred 

 black and white, and tipped broadly with white. 



Suh genus Lagopus. 

 Sub gen. char. "With the tail round or square, and toes fea- 

 thered similar to the tarsi. 



T. lagopus. White Grouse or Ptarmigan. 

 Lagopus alhus. Baird ! 

 D.c. " Bill weak, compressed towards the point ; nails subu- 

 late, black and curved ; the male constantly with a black band 

 through the eyes ; female without the dark ocular band, Cica- 

 trice over the eye smaller. Summer plumage. — Above greyish 

 rufous, marked with numerous zigzag lines; on the breast 

 and flanks a great number of black feathers waved with pale 

 rufous; wings, all below the breast, and feet, pure white ; the fe- 

 male and young less white ; cicatrice over the eye scarlet ; weight 

 24 ounces. Length 14j inches; alar extent 23 inches." — (Nut- 

 tall, pnge 674). 



Genus Columha. 



Gen. char. Bill moderate, straight, compressed, rather gibbous 

 towards the tip which is also curved ; base of nostrils covered 

 with a soft skin, with an inflated appearance, in which the nos- 

 trils are situated, which are medial and longitudinal ; feet short, 



