nelson's ptarmigan 215 



It may be supposed, that the birds only migrate to somewhat more southerly 

 lying parts of East Greenland, as they already begin to return in the beginning 

 of February, when the sun has not yet appeared. (In 1907 the first ptarmigan 

 was seen at the ship's harbour February 4th and the next year 4 days later.) 



The migration lasted through February. March, and the larger part of 

 April, and the number of ptarmigans within a certain place might differ a 

 good deal in this time. 



Captain MacMillan (1918) recorded them as "common at Etah 

 in spring and fall migration " ; and as " not seen in July and Au- 

 gust." The migration is very early, as he shot some at Etah on 

 February 13 and saw them on the inland highlands of Ellesmere 

 Island and Grant Land in March. 



Hagerup (1891), referring to the region about Ivigtut in south- 

 ern Greenland, writes: 



During winter the number is considerably increased by the birds coming 

 from the north, but the abundance is very variable. Thus the first winter 

 I was at Ivigtut, an uncommonly cold season, comparatively few were seen, 

 though about 400 were shot; but the following winter, which was much 

 milder, the birds were much more numerous, and about twice as many were 

 killed. When snow covers the ground they are less frequent in the valleys than 

 on the mountain slopes and in the clefts; but on the high lands they are not 

 so numerous. They usually resort to side hills, where there are large 

 bowlders, and where some herbs are easily accessible. They change their 

 feeding-ground very often, and sometimes in the course of a single night they 

 arrive in such numbers that on the following day the birds or their tracks may 

 be seen everywhere, while at other times one may travel for days without 

 seeing any sign of one. 



LAGOPUS RUPESTRIS NELSONI Stejneger 

 NELSON'S PTARMIGAN 



HABITS 



Nelson's ptarmigan is perhaps the best known of the half dozen 

 forms of the rock ptarmigan found in the Aleutian Islands. It is a 

 permanent resident on Unalaska Island, particularly on the eastern 

 and more mountainous end, on the Krenitzin Islands, east of Un- 

 alaska, and on the Alaska Peninsula, at the base of which it appar- 

 ently intergrades with the mainland rock ptarmigan. Dr. Wilfred 

 H. Osgood (1904), who collected specimens on Portage Mountain, at 

 the base of the peninsula, says: "With the material at hand I have 

 been unable to satisfactorily distinguish the rock ptarmigan of the 

 Alaska Peninsula from those of Unalaska Island." 



About Iliuliuk Village, on Unalaska Island, we found ptarmigan 

 scarce and wild, even on the mountains back of the village, where 

 they are persistently hunted by the natives. Dutch Harbor is on 

 Amaknak Island, which is separated from Unalaska by only a narrow 



