NORTHERN WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN 233 



hour or two, the male became more accustomed to me, and seemed as much at 

 ease as his mate, uttering a low, crooning note suggesting that of a comfortable 

 chicken on a sunny day. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Alpine sections of southern Alaska, western Canada, and 

 the United States. 



The range of the white-tailed ptarmigan extends north to Alaska 

 (Lake Clark, Savage Kiver, and Robertson River) ; Yukon (proba- 

 bly La Pierre House) ; and southwestern Mackenzie (Nahanni Moun- 

 tains). East to southwestern Mackenzie (Nahanni Mountains); 

 western Alberta (Henry House, Laggan, and Sulphur Mountain) ; 

 western Montana (St. Marys Lake, Piegan Pass, and Beartooth 

 Mountain) ; Wyoming (Medicine Bow Mountains) ; Colorado 

 (Mount Zirkel, Arapahoe Mountain, Longs Peak, Bald Mountain, 

 James Peak, Breckenridge, St. Elmo, Cochetope Pass, and Summit 

 Peak) ; and New Mexico (Costilla Peak, Taos Mountains, and Mora 

 Pass). South to northern New Mexico (Mora Pass) ; southwestern 

 Colorado (Dolores Mountain) ; and northwestern Oregon (Mount 

 Jefferson). West to northwestern Oregon (Mount Jefferson and 

 Mount Hood) ; Washington (Mount St. Helena, Mount Rainier, 

 Pyramid Peak, Cloudy Pass, Mount Sahale, and Mount Baker) ; 

 British Columbia (Mount Arrowsmith, Delia Lake, Ninemile 

 Mountain, Groundhog Mountain, head of the Iskut River, and Doch- 

 da-on Creek) ; and Alaska (Admiralty Island, Hooniah, Glacier Bay, 

 Valdez, Kenai Mountains, and Lake Clark). 



The white-tailed ptarmigan is confined entirely to mountainous 

 regions, and it does not perform a migration comparable to that of 

 the willow and rock ptarmigans. A slight vertical movement 

 usually takes place in winter when the birds descend from the peaks 

 and ridges to sheltered valleys in search of food. 



The range as described is for the entire species, which has been 

 divided into four subspecies. The " northern " white-tailed ptarmi- 

 gan {Lag opus I. leucunis) is found from northern British Columbia 

 and central Alberta south to Vancouver Island; the Kenai white- 

 tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus I. peninsularis) occurs from central 

 Alaska, northern Yukon, and Mackenzie south to the Cook Inlet 

 region, Kenai Peninsula, and central Yukon ; the Washington white- 

 tailed ptarmigan {Lagopus I. rainierensis) is found in the Cascade 

 Mountains of Washington ; and the southern white-tailed ptarmigan 

 {Lagopus I. altipetens) occupies the Rocky Mountain region of the 

 United States, from Montana to northern New Mexico. 



Egg dates. — Colorado : 14 records, June 19 to July 15 ; 7 records, 

 June 26 to July 6. 



