30 LAGOPUS MUTUS. 
Mr. MacFarlane’s spoils, and he says (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xiv. p. 481) that 
this species was not nearly so plentiful as the Willow-Grouse, and only met 
with in considerable numbers from the Wilmot-Horton Barren Grounds to 
the shores of Franklin Bay. I am ata loss to explain the locality assigned by 
the label, as the Anderson River seems to lie well within the Arctic Circle, 
and nowhere to cut it. | 
LAGOPUS MUTUS (Montin). 
PTARMIGAN. 
§ 2988. Four.—Switzerland. From M. Nager, of Andermatt, 
1846. 
Out of six, one of which was given to Mr. Hancock, who saw 
these and believes the bird of the Alps to be identical with the 
Scotch. 
§ 2989. Zwo.—Ben Clibrick, Sutherland. From Mr. W. 
Dunbar, 1848. 
Of these Mr. Dunbar wrote, in June 1848, “TI have sent you two 
Ptarmigan eggs. I sent Mr. Hancock two from the same nest”’ ; 
and later, ‘‘ Relative to the Ptarmigan eggs, those Mr. Hancock got 
were picked out of the lot by Mr. St. John, and are more perfect in 
the markings ; but I can assure you they are from the samenest. I 
have seen some of their eggs almost pure white, and some very dark. 
This I can account for. When they begin to lay they do not sit on 
the eggs until they have laid the number intended. If the weather is 
rainy or very foggy, they get much bleached: if, on the contrary, 
the weather is fine, they still keep the spots perfect, though the sun, 
if very bright, makes them lighter: if the weather is dark and 
cloudy with no rain, the eggs remain the original colour.” 
§ 2990. One.—Sutherland, 1848, 
This was given me in 1849 by John Sutherland, of Ledbeg. It 
was an egg of 1848. I tried in vain to get eggs myself. I shot two 
birds on Foinaven, and in the female was an egg as yet uncoloured ; 
but of the size and shape as it would permanently have been. I killed 
the birds to feed my young Eagles. 
