178 BULLETIN 162, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



tion of light-colored parts of plumage more ashy, and pattern of 

 dark markings finer." He says also that it — 



occurs along the Yukon River Valley down nearly to its rnouth, as also in 

 adjacent wooded areas west even into the Seward Peninsula. 



As with the other subspecies of the Ruffed Grouse, yukonensis shows two color 

 phases. Three out of the eleven specimens at hand have pale rusty tails; but 

 even in this " red " phase the race is distinguishable from the corresponding 

 phase in the other subspecies by paler tone of coloration. Typical umbelloides 

 is still a gray bird, but its grayness is more leaden, and its browns and blacks 

 are deeper. The extreme fineness of the intricate pattern of barring and 

 mottling on the plumage is in yukonensis an appreciable character. 



Dr. E. W. Nelson (1887) writes of its haunts: 



Like the Spruce Grouse, and sharing with the latter its range in Northern 

 Alaska, this bird is found everywhere where wooded land occurs, reaching the 

 head of Norton Sound and vicinity of Bering Straits, following the belts of 

 timber as they approach the sea in this portion of the Territory. It is not 

 uncommon in the vicinity of Nulato, where it frequents the deep spruce growths, 

 and feeds exclusively upon the buds of these trees, its flesh being tainted in 

 consequence. Dall found it nesting there in May, and a set of eggs was found 

 in a willow stump. Like the Spruce Grouse, this bird is found wherever 

 spruces occur, and both species range well into the Kaviak Peninsula, so that 

 they are found within a very short distance of Bering Straits. 



LAGOPUS LAGOPUS ALBUS (Gmelin) 



WILLOW PTARMIGAN 



HABITS 



The willow ptarmigan, with its various so-called subspecies, is of 

 circumpolar distribution, inhabiting the arctic or subarctic regions of 

 both the North American and Eurasian Continents. European writ- 

 ers know it as the willow grouse, applying the name ptarmigan to 

 only the rock ptarmigan and its races. It seems more logical to 

 apply the name ptarmigan to both species that assume a white plum- 

 age in winter. The British red grouse is the only species of the 

 genus Lagopus that does not have a white winter plumage; it does, 

 however, have the feathered toes, one of the principal characters of 

 the genus. The following account includes the so-called Alaska 

 ptarmigan. 



Spring. — As soon as the first bare spaces appear on the sunny slopes 

 of the tundra the ptarmigan begin their spring migration from their 

 winter quarters, among the willows in the sheltered valleys of the 

 rivers and creeks of the interior, to their breeding grounds on the 

 open hills or tundra. H. B. Conover says in some notes he sent to me : 



On our sled trip from Nenana to Hooper Bay, this grouse was not encountered 

 until we reached the Kuskokwim Mountains, where we found it very plentiful. 

 It was generally encountered in flocks of 15 to 100 feeding among the dwarf 



