40 BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN. 



hill of the black sow), 4,297 feet above sea-level, 

 that the Ptarmigan which were met with at about 

 the 3, ooo -foot line were changing plumage, while 

 those nearer the summit were still, for the most 

 part, spotlessly white, and it was also remarked 

 that a cock and hen were rarely at the same period 

 of their moult. 



It has been stated that, while abundant on 

 their slopes, Ptarmigan are rarely met with on the 



YOUNG PTARMIGAN CROUCHING. 



summits of the highest Scottish mountains that 

 is, those above 4,000 feet ; but I have by no 

 means found this to be the case, as only recently, 

 while ascending Brae Riach (4,200 feet), I did not 

 see or hear a single Ptarmigan until I had reached 

 the summit plateau. 



Last year the Ptarmigan were most un- 

 lucky in their nesting affairs. On May i6th an 

 unprecedented storm for that season of the year 

 swept over the Highlands, and quite 2 feet of snow 

 fell on the Ptarmigans' nesting grounds, while 

 drifts 20 to 30 feet deep were common. In one 



