WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN. 



AN inhabitant of the high mountain ranges, both of 

 certain parts of the United States and the countries 

 lying to the north of our border, this beautiful bird is 

 not very often met with below the timber line. It is the 

 only species of Ptarmigan having a white tail. It ranges 

 from Alaska through British Columbia, and the 

 Western part of the United States to New Mexico, 

 where it has been obtained at Taos. In certain parts 

 of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado it is not 

 uncommon near the summits of the mountains. It 

 may be regarded as truly an Alpine species. It does 

 not migrate, and wherever found there it breeds, and 

 descends perhaps a few thousand feet when the 

 weather is very severe, but seldom below 6000 or 7000 

 feet. I have met with this species in the Cascade Range 

 in autumn, where it is usually found in small com- 

 panies of perhaps half a dozen, occasionally twice this 

 number. They were not what may be called tame, unlike 

 the Willow Grouse in this respect, but were always very 

 uneasy at my presence, and ran about with uplifted tail 

 as if uncertain which way to fly, but when they once got 

 started there seemed to be no farther difificulty in their 

 minds as to the proper direction, which I noticed never 

 led near where I stood. Sometimes I have seen them 

 light on the bare limbs of a stunted tree or large bush at 

 the edge of the timber line, w^here they stood perfectly 

 motionless for quite a length of time, observing every 

 movement I made, and then suddenly burst away with 



167 



