190 LAGOPUS CINEREUS. 



The logs are short and strong ; the tarsus feathered, as ara 

 the toes on their upper part and sides, but not beneath as in 

 Lagopus saliceti. The first toe is very short and elevated, the 

 third much longer than the second, which is about the same 

 length as the fourth. The anterior toes are webbed at the 

 base, and have three terminal scutella ; the hind toe has two 

 series of scales or dimidiate scutella. The claws are rather 

 long, arched, depressed, their sides sloping, the ridge narrow, 

 the edges thin, the tip obtuse ; that of the hind toe smaller 

 and more curved. 



The plumage is full, close, compact, imbricated. The feathers 

 at the base of the bill are very small and slender ; those on the 

 head small and oblong. On the other parts of the body they 

 are oblong, more than half downy, the plumule nearly as long, 

 the tube short, subcylindrical, enlarged at the base. On the 

 hypochondrial spaces and abdomen, the feathers are entirely 

 downy. The wings are short, broad, and much rounded ; the 

 primary quills ten, decurved, narrow, rounded, the first six cut 

 out from near the base, the fourth longest, the third little 

 shorter, the second and fifth a little shorter, and nearly equal, 

 the first two inches shorter than the fourth, and a little longer 

 than the seventh. Secondary quills fifteen, decurved, slightly 

 incurved, and rounded. Tail short, broad, slightly rounded, 

 and retuse, of sixteen feathers, the two middle ones situated 

 above the line of the rest. The tibife, tarsi, and toes are covered 

 with feathers having disunited hair-like filaments ; those on 

 the tarsi and toes are shorter, with stiff shafts, and much worn 

 behind. 



The bill is blackish-brown ; the supraocular membrane 

 scarlet ; the iris brown ; the claws dark-brown, with horn- 

 coloured edges and tips. 



The general colour of the plumage is pure white. The 

 feathers at the base of the bill, and between it and the eye, as 

 well as a few behind it, are black. The tail-feathers are 

 greyish-black, with a narrow terminal edging of white, that 

 on the two middle feathers much larger ; all the tail-feathers 

 have more or less white at the base, and their shafts are 

 of the same colour there, but in the rest of their extent black ; 



