636 



U. 8. P. E. E. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY— GENERAL REPORT. 



The male bird in winter is pure white throughout, except fourteen tail feathers, which are 

 black, narrowly tipped with white, and a black line through and behind the eye. The shafts 

 of the larger primaries are browne xternally, except along the edges. 



The female is said to be similar, but without the black stripe through the eye. 



A supposed summer specimen of this species, probably a female, has the feathers of the back 

 black, with narrow transverse bars of yellowish brown and terminated by white. The brown 

 bars are largest on the basal half; the terminal ones are usually interrupted towards the shaft ; 

 the last of all sometimes continuous, and separated from the white tip by black. Much the 

 greater exposed portion of the feather is black. Beneath and to some extent on the head the 

 brownish bars are lighter and much broader, imparting a yellowish tint. The chin is whitish, 

 spotted with black. There is no trace of the black lore. The entire wing, excepting the 

 middle coverts and tertials, are white, as is also the middle lore of the belly. The outer web of 

 external tail feather is white towards the base. 



A specimen from the northwest coast of America, (8082,) presented by Mr. Gould, and 

 perhaps a male of the rock grouse, has the feathers of a chestnut color mottled with black, 

 and with little or no white edging. This may, however, be a distinct species, dififerent, as it 

 certainly is, from the common willow grouse. 



The difterences between the American rock grouse and the willow grouse are to be found in 

 the smaller size of the latter, and its slenderer, more elongated bill. The black stripe through 

 the eye of the male is not found in the willow grouse in either sex. 



List of specimens. 



LAGOPUS LEUCURUS, Swain son. 



White-tailed Ptarmigan. 



Ttlrao (Lagopus) leucurus, Svvainson, Fauna Bor. Amcr. II, 1831, 356 ; pl.kiii. — Nuttai.l, Man. II, 1834,612. — 



Ib. I,2dod. 1840,820. 

 Tttrao lexicurus, Atn. Cm. P.iog. V, 1839, 200; pi. 418. 

 Lagopus leucuriiJi, Aro. Syn. 1839.— 1b. Birds Amor. V, 1842, 125; pi. 302. 



.Sp. Cil. — Bill slender. Pliunogo in summer b:irri'd vvitli brownish yellow. In winter pure white, including the tail feathers. 

 Length, 13 inches ; wing, 7 ; tail, 4.25. 

 Jlab. — Northern America to the west. Southward along RocUy niouiUains to Cgchotopo Pass in latitude 390. 



Bill rather slender ; the length I'rora the nasal groove considerably greater than the height of 

 both mandibles together. Gonys longer than the width of lower jaw at the end of the lateral 



