330 TETRAONID.E. 



brown, and having on the top of the head a light chestnut mark, 

 edged with darker. When first fledged they are very similar 

 to the young of the Red Grouse, but banded and spotted 

 with brighter reddish yellow. This plumage soon changes, 

 so that in the beginning of August many of the yellow and 

 brown feathers of the back are exchanged for others spotted 

 and barred with pale grey and brown, and the under parts 

 are white, as well as the wings. These young birds become 

 white the first winter, like older ones." 



The Ptarmigan, Mr. Selby observes, has been reared in 

 confinement without much difficulty, and has been known to 

 breed in a tame state. 



A few particulars of two other species of Ptarmigan, 

 both of which are closely allied to our own, may not be out 

 of place here. 



The Dal-ripa of Scandinavia, the subalpina of M. Nils- 

 son, the saliceti of M. Temminck. and the Willow Grouse 

 of English authors, is pure white in winter, except the shafts 

 of the quill-feathers and the lower series of tail-feathers, 

 which are black ; the latter broadly tipped with white ; the 

 male has no black feathers before or behind the eye : it is 

 further distinguished from our Ptarmigan by its larger size, 

 and much stouter beak. In summer both sexes assume a 

 reddish yellow plumage, somewhat resembling that of the 

 Red Grouse, the quill-feathers and part of the under surface 

 of the body remaining white ; the claws black at the base, 

 white at the end. The male measures seventeen inches in 

 length : the wing eight inches and one quarter. The female 

 measures sixteen inches, and her wing eight inches. This 

 species is abundant in the countries about Hudson's Bay, 

 where ten thousand have been taken in one winter. A co- 

 loured figure of this bird in its summer plumage will be 

 found at page 72 of Edwards' Gleanings in Natural History, 

 and in Mr. Gould's Birds of Europe. 



