TETRAONTD^ — THE GROUSE. 463 



Female in summer (44,582, Barren Grrounds, June 29, 1864 ; R. MacFarlanc). Wings 

 (except upper coverts) and legs white ; tail (except intermedin), black, narrowly tipped 

 with white. Rest of plumage light ochraceous or bulT, some feathers tipped with white, 

 and all with broad transverse bars of black, this color prevailing on the dorsal region. 

 On the lower surface the buff bars exceed the black ones in width. Wing, 7.20 ; tarsus, 

 1.15 ; middle toe, .90 ; bill, .35 by .27. 



Hab. Arctic America. 



The L. mutus of Europe appears to differ only in its summer and au- 

 tunnial plumages from the present form, and is then only distinguished 

 by the uniformly black feathers on the breast in the former, and the bluish 

 cast in the latter stage. Those in the winter plumage that we have exam- 

 ined are absolutely identical in size, proportions, and color with the Ameri- 

 can birds. 



Habits. According to Hutchins, this Ptarmigan is numerous at the two 

 extremes of Hudson's Bay, but does not appear at the middle settlements of 

 York and Severn except in very severe seasons, when the Willow Grouse 

 are scarce ; and Captain Sabine informed Eichardson that they abounded on 

 Melville Island, latitude 75°, in the summer. They arrived there in their 

 snow-white winter dress about the 12th of May. By the end of the month 

 the females had begun to assume their colored plumage, which was com- 

 pleted by the first week in June, when the change in the plumage had only 

 just commenced in the males. Some of the latter were found as late as the 

 middle of June in their unaltered winter plumage. This Grouse was also 

 found on the Melville peninsula and the Barren Grounds, rarely going farther 

 south, even in the winter, than latitude 53° in the interior, but, on the coast 

 of Hudson's Bay, descending to latitude 58°, and in severe seasons still 

 farther to the southward. In its general manners and mode of living it is 

 said to resemble the albus, but does not retire so far into the wooded coun- 

 try in the winter. At that season it frequents the more open woods on the 

 borders of lakes, especially in the 65th parallel, but the bulk of this species 

 remains on the skirts of the Barren Grounds. They incubate in June. 



Mr. MacFarlane found this species breeding about Fort Anderson, and on 

 the Barren Grounds east of the Horton River. They nest, in a similar man- 

 ner to L. albus, on the ground, placing the materials in a depression on the 

 ground, and using hay, withered leaves, and a few feathers, and making a 

 rather loose, ill-arranged nest. This is usually placed on an open common, 

 sometimes near the banks of a small stream. Tliey were more early in their 

 breeding than the alius, as young Ptarmigans of a goodly size are mentioned 

 as having been seen June 30. The eggs ranged from four to eight in number. 



The female sits very close, and rather than leave will sometimes suffer 

 herself to be taken by the hand. In one instance when a nest was ap- 

 proaclied, the female crouched as much as possible, in the hope that she 

 might not be noticed, which M'ould have happened had not one of the party 

 observed her eye. Her summer plumage was almost exactly of the same 



