240 The Ptarmigan Family 



— the White Wolf of the North would come and 

 nuzzle for ears, nose, and every projecting mouth- 

 ful, and they'd snap like icicles, and he'd get them 

 and thaw them in his steamy paunch. But the 

 rest — the big, rounded parts would fool him, for 

 his teeth would slip on the flint-hard meat, and it 



would serve him d n well right ! He could just 



wait for a thaw, and then — a rasp of a twig across 

 my cold nose startled and hurt me, so that I no- 

 ticed I was running into cover. The edge of the 

 woods ! Yes, and there was Joe's track and Joe 

 himself just ahead. 



In ten minutes we were at the cabin. Fifteen 

 minutes later we had got rid of snowy outer garb, 

 and had looked upon something that was red and 

 oh ! so welcome. Presently Joe raised his drawn 

 face from his hands and said : — 



"Bad to kill dem white snow-bird. But you 

 good — run like bull moose — else los ! " 



I muttered something, I'd hate to say what, for 

 my eyes were closing in utter weariness. 



Allen's ptarmigan 



(Z. /. alleni) 



A very common bird in Newfoundland, and in 

 the belief of the writer and many others, it simply 

 is the species described as willow-ptarmigan, 

 Lagopus lagopus. 



