The terrestrial mammals and birds of North-East Greenland. ЦЗ 



Crusted snow was penetrated in that way, that the birds first 

 by their bill picked through the crust and then by means of their 

 feet proceeded to the desired plants. 



Plants, which were covered by ice or hoar frost, were carefully 

 cleaned before they were eaten. 



When by the end of March the weather was fine a few males 

 would already begin to cackle; but the Ptarmigans did not appear 

 in couples before a month later; in this time the males had obtained 

 their real pairing exterior: strongly coloured and developed comb- 

 like crests. 



The cackling of the male may be expressed as orrr.' 



March 13'h 1908 I met on the eastern slope of Harefjeldet with 

 5 female Ptarmigans. While 4 of them were looking for food, 

 the 5*1^ was sitting on the summit of a solitary lying large stone 

 from which she twice just like a cock rose cackling in the air. 

 This hen behaved in every way like a cock in pairing passion. She 

 went down to the stone with her tail-feathers лег}' much spread, 

 and her comb erected and then flew down to the earth to court 

 her friends keeping the wings low and her crest erected. I shot the 

 3 Ptarmigans; the anatomical determination of their sex was not 

 difficult; the curious cock-imitatrix contained eggs as large as part- 

 ridge-shot. During this observation the weather was fine. 



The majority of the Ptarmigans left the shore and went farther 

 up the country at the beginning of the breeding season. As indi- 

 cated before some Ptarmigans would nest on islands, where they 

 were not so exposed to attacks from Polar Foxes and Ermines dur- 

 ing summer. 



The pairing usually took place early in the morning; at this 

 time the birds were most lively. The laying began in the first half 

 of June. (A full-grown egg in shell is taken out of a bird June 11*^.) 

 According to my observations the cock stays near the nest also after 

 the hen has commenced breeding. 



August 16*^ I met with a hatch of 9 chicks on the little rocky 

 island "Pladen" in Dove Bugt; they were somewhat larger than 

 Starlings. 



By the end of August and in the beginning of September several 

 times flocks were observed counting some 20 birds, nearly full-grown 

 young and old Ptarmigans mixed. 



In stomachs of shot young ones I found remnants of plants as 

 well as of insects. The old birds in summer also partly feed on insects. 



The old Ptarmigans appeared again on the lower plains near the 

 coast at the time for their departure in October. As on their migra- 

 tion in spring, they appeared singly or in small flocks. 



XLV. 8 



