PTARMIGAN 177 



and faded. Daring; the last week of the month 

 many of the blue-grey feathers of the autumn 

 make their appearance and the feathers moult off 

 the legs. This is the case with Ijoth the cock and 

 the hen, but some specimens are ftir more advanced 

 than others, 

 August. — A complete change of both cock and hen to 

 blue-grey plumage of the autumn, the whole ]:)eing 

 complete about the 20th of this month. The hens 

 sometimes retain a few of the faded summer- 

 plumage feathers till the first w^eek in September, 

 most noticeably on the back and flanks. At the 

 l)eginning of this month the head and neck are 

 more or less dark with a brown tinoe in both 

 sexes, but by the end the whole bird has changed 

 to a very much paler Ijlue-grey, the l^lack riljbings 

 on the feathers becornino- less distinct. At the 



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end of the month the feet are covered with the 

 new feathers, though short. 



Septemher. — -The fading of the feathers in both male 

 and female continues throughout the month, and 

 the males exhibit a sliolit difference in the Qround 

 colouring of the back-feathers, some retaining the 

 brownish tinge and others a pure blue-grey. In 

 the brown-tinged birds the black markings on the 

 feathers are always far less distinct than in the 

 grey birds. 



October.- — The plumage of both sexes still continues 

 fading, while the black markings become less and 

 less distinct, till the middle of the month, when 

 the first pure white feathers of the third moult 



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