GREY PTARMIGAN. 191 



the two middle feathers are mottled with grey on part of 

 their inner webs. The tail- coverts are white, and the two 

 middle ones so long as almost to equal the two middle tail- 

 feathers. The shafts of all the primary quills are dark-bro^^Tl, 

 excepting at the base. Some coloured feathers are interspersed 

 among the rest, more especially on the neck and wings. Of 

 these feathers those on the upper part of the neck are trans- 

 versely barred with pale yellow and blackish-grey ; the rest are 

 brownish-grey minutely and undulatingly barred with blackish- 

 grey. These coloured feathers have the extremity white ; some 

 have a coloured patch on one web only, others on both ; on 

 some the patches are very small, on others very large ; but in 

 all, the line of separation between the coloured and white part 

 is distinct and abrupt, shewing that no gradual fading has 

 taken place. The downy base of the feathers is more or less 

 grey on all parts of the body. 



Length to end of tail 15| inches; extent of wings 25 ; wing 

 from flexure 8 ; tail 4 j ; bill along the back 9i twelfths, 

 along the edge of lower mandible 10§ twelfths; tarsus 1|; 

 first toe /j, its claw 4i twelfths ; second toe j\, its claw 6^ 

 twelfths; third toe 1, its claw 7i twelfths; fourth toe 8i 

 twelfths, its claw j%. 



Another individual examined several years ago at the same 

 season, had the bill brownish-black, the claws dark-brown at 

 the base, lighter towards the end ; the supraocular membrane 

 vermilion. The general colour of the plumage pure white ; 

 a broad line from the bill to the eye, and a shorter one bevond 

 it, black ; tail-feathers bro^^Tlish black, the tips white, of the 

 two middle to a larger extent ; shafts of primaries deep brown. 

 Length 15i inches; extent of wings 28; bill j% ; tarsus If ; 

 middle toe and claw If. 



In many individuals I have found one of the upper middle 

 tail-feathers white, the other partially so ; in some others both 

 the middle tail-feathers were entirely white. 



Female in Winter. — The female is similar to the male, with 

 slight differences. The general colour of the plumage is white. 

 The bases of the feathers before the eyes are black, and those 



