THE PTARMIGAN 121 



the snow cap breaks up earlier. The cock Ptarmigan 

 of the north of Norway retain much white on their upper 

 parts right through the summer. 



Although the Grouse of the high grounds are frequently 

 found nesting in Ptarmigan country, not a single undoubted 

 hybrid has ever been shot in Scotland, though several sup- 

 posed cases have occurred. A bird which was shot at Kin- 

 tradwell, Brora, in 1878 presented many hybrid features. 

 The feathers were a perfect blend of the two species, but 

 more than possibly it was merely an uncommonly marked 

 Grouse. It is, indeed, the great range of colour exhibited 

 by this latter bird that makes the identifying of hybrids 

 a matter of great difficulty. Two supposed hybrids 

 were exhibited in 1907 by the British Ornithologists' 

 Union, but their claims are not above suspicion. Still, 

 it is reasonable to suppose that hybrids must occasionally 

 occur. 



Several authorities on the Ptarmigan agree that those 

 birds inhabiting the highest plateaux are considerably 

 smaller in size than those nesting at lower levels ; but I 

 must say that my somewhat extended observations have 

 not borne out this theory. This difference in size may be 

 more marked in other countries, for an instance is on 

 record of Ptarmigan being met with at the great eleva- 

 tion of 9700 feet above sea -level. 



An interesting method of trapping Ptarmigan in the 

 Highlands is given by Mr. J. G. Millais. I gather, how- 

 ever, that this must now be numbered amongst those 

 old Highland practices which have been lost to us as the 

 result of the more strict game-preserving of recent years. 

 The trapper, armed with a bagful of oats and a beer 

 or — preferably — champagne bottle, makes his way, after 

 heavy snow, to a place on the hill where the Ptarmigan 

 usually congregate. Here he makes a number of indenta- 

 tions in the snow with his bottle, and fills the bottom of 



