202 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



head and neck more coarsely and regularly barred ; chest, breast, 

 sides, and flanks nearly like uj)per parts. Fall female : Similar to 

 male, but more ochraceous, with heavier black markings (?). 

 Young : Above light brownish gray, or grayish brown, densely 

 vermiculated with black, and with scattered irregular large spots 

 of the same ; two outer quills partly white, four innermost ones 

 entirely white, the rest dull grayish ; tail-feathers mottled brownish, 

 like back ; anterior and lateral lower parts dull butfy, irregularly 

 barred, vermiculated, and spotted with black ; rest of lower parts 

 plain dull grayish buffy white. Length 12.00-13.00, wing 6.50-6.70. 

 Eggs 1.68 X 1-15, cream-color or buff, speckled with dark brown and 

 black. Hab. Alpine summits of Eocky Mountains, south to New 

 Mexico, north into British America (as far as Fort Ilalkett, Liai'd's 

 Eiver), west to higher ranges of Oregon, Washington Territory, 

 and British Columbia. 



304. L. leucurus Swains. White-tailed Ptarmigan. 



Genus TYMPANUCHUS Gloger. (Page 185, pi. LIX., fig. 1.) 



Species. 



Common Characters. — Above brownish, barred (sometimes spotted also) with 

 dusky and buff; beneath white broadly barred or banded with brown ; quills 

 brownish gray, their outer webs spotted with buff or whitish ; chin, throat, and 

 cheeks buff, the last marked with a cluster of brown or dusky spots ; a dark brown 

 stripe on side of head, from corner of mouth beneath eye and across upper part of 

 ear-coverts ; above this a buff stripe, interrupted above the eye. Adult male : Sides 

 of neck with an erectile tuft of rather stiff elongated feathers, the longest of which 

 are 2.50 or more in length ; tail-feathers without bars or other markings, except the 

 narrow whitish tip. Adult female : Neck-tufts rudimentary, the longest feathers 

 not more (usually much less) than 2.00 in length ; tail-feathers with numerous 

 distinct bars of light brown or buffy. IVest on ground in meadows or other open 

 situations. Eggs 8-12, or more, light drab, olive, or dull buffy, usually plain, but 

 sometimes slightly speckled with dai'ker. 



a^ Darker bars of back and rump single, very broad, solid black ; brown bars on 

 sides and flanks .30 or more wide, unicolored ; wing more than 8.50 in 

 adult male, usuall}" much more than 8.00 in adult female. 

 b^. Scapulars without conspicuous whitish terminal spots ; neck-tufts of male 

 composed of more than ten parallel-edged feathers, with obtusely 

 rounded or, sometimes, nearly truncated tips. Young : Above, includ- 

 ing tail, light brownish, the feathers with conspicuous mesial streaks 

 of white and large blotches of black ; outer webs of quills spotted with 

 whitish ; top of head rusty brownish, with a median black patch or 

 stripe ; a dusky patch on ear-coverts ; lower parts buffy whitish, with 

 rather irregular broad bai's of grayish brown, these breaking up ante- 



