CHAPTER VIII. 



PTARMIGANS. 



Ptarmigans — Different species— Tlie white-tailed ptarmigan — The willow 

 grouse, and the rock, or mountain, ptarmigan— General sketch of 

 the white-tailed ptarmigan — Pairing season — The nest and eggs — 

 Both parents look after the young — Brave protectors — Very tame 

 in summer and wild in winter— Burrow in the snow — Moulting 

 season — Are in best condition from September to November — Will 

 not lie to a dog in winter — The willow grouse — Its haunts and 

 habits — Resembles the Scotch moor-cock — Hue of the plumage in 

 winter and summer — Weight of both sexes — The mating season — 

 Nests and eggs — The male assists the female in hatching — A duti- 

 ful guardian — The number of eggs a hen can lay in a season — Dif- 

 ficulty of detecting the young on the ground — Migratory tours — 

 Marital manceuvres — Food — How the birds are trapped — The 

 rock, or mountain ptarmigan — Its haunts, weight, size, and color — 

 Is partially migratory — Its food — Pack in autumn — General char- 

 acter of ptarmigans — The charge used for shooting them — A cam- 

 paign among the ptarmigans— Two queer dogs — How to prevent 

 snow-blindness — Majestic mountain scenery — A brood of ptarmi- 

 gans — Our first bag— Snow baths— Croaking voices — A volley and 

 its unexpected result — A terrified Indian — A savory dinner — Why 

 Indians can eat so much-Strange music — Success of our excur- 

 sion. 



There are three recognized species of the genus Lago- 

 pus in the northern part of the Continent, namely, the 

 white-tailed ptarmigan {Lagnjms Uucurus), the willow 

 grouse {L. albus), and tlie rock, or mountain ptarmigan 

 (iy. mutvs, var. rt(pestris),yi\\\G\\ differs only slightly from 

 the L. mutus of Europe. The former, which is known 

 as the white, and the mountain, quail in portions of the 

 West, is the species most common in the United States, 

 being found on all the elevated chains between the Atlan- 

 tic and the Pacific Oceans. It is the smallest of its genus, 

 and the only one whose tail remains white the year 

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