50 



The Bird 



after the breeding season into a special gray or dark 

 plumage, harmonizing well with the autumnal shades of 

 the grass and lichened rocks. In the late fall a second 

 plumage of immaculate white is assumed, affording these 

 birds great protection on the snowy wastes where they 



Fig. 33. — Willow Ptarmigan in early spring, with brown feathers beginning to 

 replace the white. 1/4 natural size. 



live. In spring a third suit is donned — brown and parti- 

 coloured like the environment, which late in the year is 

 still covered with patches of snow here and there. This 

 too is the nuptial plumage, and lasts until the gray garb 

 completes the cycle of the year's changes. The wing- 

 feathers are white all the year, but when the wings are 



