212 BULLETIN 162, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The range of the rock ptarmigan extends north to Alaska (Cape 

 Prince of Wales, Point Barrow, Humphrey Point, and Demarcation 

 Point) ; northwestern Mackenzie (Cape Bathurst, Franklin Bay, and 

 Pierce Point) ; northern Franklin (Winter Harbor, Gaesefiord, Lake 

 Hazen, and Floeburg Beach) ; and northern Greenland (Thank God 

 Harbor, Newman Bay, and Lockwood Island). East to Greenland 

 (Lockwood Island, Sabine Island, Clavering Island, and Ivigtut) ; 

 and Newfoundland (mountain ranges). South to Newfoundland 

 (Fortune Bay to Cape Ray) ; Anticosti Island (Fox Bay) ; northern 

 Quebec (Fort Chimo and Sorehead River) ; southern Franklin (Cape 

 Fullerton and Bernard Harbor) ; and central British Columbia 

 (Ingenika River and Ninemile Mountain). West to British Colum- 

 bia (Ninemile Mountain) ; and Alaska (Baranof Island, St. Lazaria 

 Island, Mount Edgecumbe, Port Frederick, Hinchinbrook Island, 

 Montague Island, English Bay, Unalaska Island, Atka Island, Adak 

 Island, Tanaga Island, Amchitka Island, Kiska Island, Attu Islands 

 Askinuk Mountains, Nome, Teller, and Cape Prince of Wales). It 

 is of casual occurrence in summer on Bonaventure Island, Quebec, 

 where one was taken July 8, 1922 (Stoddard). 



Although the majority of the rock ptarmigan withdraw from the 

 extreme northern part of their summer range upon the advent of 

 severe winter weather, they do not appear to retreat beyond the 

 southern limits of the breeding range. Instead, a concentration is 

 noticed at some of the more southern points, as at Ivigtut, Greenland. 

 Among late departure dates in the northern part of the range are: 

 Franklin, Floeburg Beach, September 29. and Winter Harbor, Octo- 

 ber 15. The species has been observed to return to this general area 

 as follows: Franklin, Newman Bay, March 9, Floeburg Beach, 

 March 11, Thank God Harbor, March 24, Discovery Harbor, April 

 10, and Winter Harbor, May 12. 



The range as above described is for the entire species, under 

 which 10 subspecies are recognized. True rupestris is found from 

 Newfoundland and the Ungava Peninsula west to northern British 

 Columbia and southern Yukon; Reinhardt's ptarmigan {Lagopus r. 

 reinhardi) is found in southwestern Greenland, north to the vicinity 

 of Disco ; Nelson's ptarmigan {Lagopus r. nelsoni) is found on Una- 

 laska, Akutan, and Unimak Islands, Alaska, and also on some of the 

 other eastern Aleutian Islands; Turner's ptarmigan {Lagopus r. 

 atkhensis) is confined to Atka Island, of the Aleutian group; Cham- 

 berlain's ptarmigan {Lagopus r. chamberlaini) is found on Adak Is- 

 land of the Aleutians; Sanford's ptarmigan {Lagopus r. sanfordi) is 

 confined to Tanaga Island of the Aleutians; Townsend's ptarmigan 

 {Lagopus r. townsendi) is found on Kiska Island, of the Aleutian 

 chain; Evermann's ptarmigan {Lagopus r. evermanni) is found on 



