BIRDS OF LOCH AND MOUNTAIN 51 



young and old form into coveys ; but I have seen 

 pairs in every month of the year. The photograph 

 of the hen Ptarmigan outlined against the snow- 

 field was obtained in June. The pair had evidently 

 had their eggs sucked, and while the cock flew 

 right off, the hen lighted on a stone about twenty 



ROOSTING HOLLOWS OF PTARMIGAN IN THE SNOW. 



yards away. Little dreaming of success, I fever- 

 ishly put up my camera and began to stalk her 

 foot by foot. Strange to say, she did not seem at 

 all disturbed, and I was enabled to get two or three 

 shots at her. It will be seen that her bill is open, 

 as she was greatly distressed with the heat. As late 

 as the end of June, after a month of fine summer 

 weather, winter again descended on the mountains, 

 which were covered with several inches of fresh 

 snow, and I fear this must have killed some of the 

 young birds on the highest nesting grounds. In 



