200 BULLETIN 16 2, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



ing some seasons on the eastern and southern coasts of the Labrador 

 Peninsula, and being nearly or quite absent during other seasons. 

 Dr. Harrison F. Lewis writes to me : 



This species often appears on the coast in great numbers in autumn, but the 

 numbers so appearing vary from year to year. When these birds come out 

 from the interior to the coast they seem to come as far out as possible, and 

 often go in numbers to the very outermost islands which, of course, are often 

 united to the mainland by ice at that time of year. Large numbers are taken 

 by the residents for food. No matter how plentiful the ptarmigan may be 

 in the fall and the month of December, comparatively few are usually 

 to be seen after the 1st of January, although a few may often be observed 

 from time to time until spring. 



But vast numbers remain in northern Ungava, at least during 

 some winters, according to Turner. One day he saw a gyrfalcon 

 flying across the Koksoak River, and writes : 



We had seen hundreds of ptarmigans on the left bank among the thickets. 

 The hawk plunged among these birds which began to rise as soon as the 

 hawk was sighted. I am certain that not less than 1,800 ptarmigans rose 

 before that hawk; and, as the latter did not reappear, we suspected there was 

 at least one less ptarmigan. The air fairly trembled as these birds arose. 

 In my notes I find the following for the locality of Fort Chimo and date of 

 December 7, 1882. Hundreds of this species of ptarmigan have made their 

 appearance in this vicinity during the past week where two weeks ago not a 

 dozen birds of the kind could be found during a tramp of an entire day. 



The traffic in ptarmigan feathers is very heavy and will give an 

 idea of the enormous number of birds killed. The Indians save 

 only the clean feathers from the breasts and backs of the birds, 

 pack them in bags, and trade them to the Hudson's Bay Co. They 

 are then packed in barrels and shipped to England. Mr. Turner 

 estimated that it required the feathers of 16 ptarmigan to make a 

 pound and says that 31 barrels of feathers were shipped from Fort 

 Chimo during the year ending June 1, 1883. As the average weight 

 of feathers in a barrel was 51 pounds, he calculated that it accounted 

 for 25,296 ptarmigan killed. And to this must be added a very 

 large number of birds killed whose feathers were soiled or for some 

 other reason were not saved. Fortunately the ptarmigan is a prolific 

 breeder; otherwise, the wholesale slaughter of chicks and old birds 

 would soon exterminate the species. 



LAGOPUS LAGOPUS ALASCENSIS Swarth 



ALASKA PTARMIGAN 



HABITS 



Harry S. Swarth (1926) gave the name alascensis to this supposed 

 subspecies, which he characterized as " slightly larger than albus. 

 A large billed race; bill slightly smaller than in ungavus, much larger 



