204 BULLETIN 16 2, UNITED STATES NATIONAL, MUSEUM 



F. Seymour Hersey, who spent two months in Newfoundland in 

 the fall of 1913 and collected 13 specimens of " Welch's ptarmigan " 

 on the Lewis Hills, contributed the following notes on its distribution 

 and haunts : 



Welch's ptarmigan is much more local in its distribution than Allen's. I did 

 not find it at Cape Ray or Gafftopsail, and I confidently expected to find it 

 there, but notwithstanding repeated hunting over many miles of ground I 

 found Allen's only. After I collected in the Lewis Hills I returned to Gaff- 

 topsail and showed my birds to the few people who lived at this lonely place, 

 and all agreed that they had never seen a ptarmigan like them. One man who 

 hunted and trapped a great deal did state that they occasionally shot a small 

 ptarmigan in winter which I believe is Welch's. 



The only birds I obtained were collected in the Lewis Hills, which, at the 

 place where my collecting was done, run parallel with the beach and only a 

 short way back from it. They have the form of a continuous ridge, rather 

 than of individual hills, and rise abruptly at a steep angle, to a height of 

 several hundred feet. The sides, as well as the strip from the shore to their 

 base, are well wooded with trees of fair size. The top is undulating and 

 stretches away for long distances without descent, which makes hunting 

 comparatively easy. Individual hills are indicated by slightly increased eleva- 

 tions of the general level, but there are no distinct and separate hills. 



The whole surface is devoid of trees, but the ground is well covered with 

 low-creeping vegetation, prostrate blueberry bushes, mosses, and grass. In 

 more protected spots are patches of dwarf spruces. These are usually 1% to 3 

 feet high and are so twisted and interlaced that it is often possible to walk 

 across a patch of them without breaking through. 



My first day in these hills was foggy and I got no birds. Once I heard a 

 ptarmigan call and following the sound come upon three Allen's. The next 

 day was clear and crisp with a good breeze and only scraps of fog. We had 

 been tramping for several hours with little success when we came to an eleva- 

 tion thickly strewn with large granitelike rocks of a very dark gray color. 

 My guide halted and whispered that if we went cautiously he thought we 

 would soon see some birds. It was not long before I made out a ptarmigan 

 perched on a rock, and very soon after seeing the first one I discovered several 

 others. Their dark colors blended with the gray rocks, but they were never- 

 theless rather easy to see. As there was no concealment we walked straight 

 toward them and had no difficulty in getting within gunshot. At the first shot 

 they arose, flew a few hundred yards, and alighted again among the rocks. 

 Leaving the guide to retrieve the birds I had shot, I followed the flock and 

 soon flushed them again. This was done several times until I had collected 

 a number of specimens, when the remainder flew out of sight. 



In the Flatbay Brook country where I later camped were some high rounded 

 hills. My guide stated there were ptarmigan to be found well up toward 

 their summits, but only in winter, when they had formed into large flocks, 

 could they be successfully hunted. I was also told they were to be found 

 in the mountains about Fortune Bay. Judging from my experience this species 

 is restricted to the tops of certain ranges of hills, mainly near the coast, and 

 they are partial to areas covered with dark gray rocks rather than the lighter 

 colored rocks where Allen's ptarmigan is so abundant. 



