409 



LAGOPCJS ALBUS (Aud). 



WILLOW GROUSE : WHITE PTARMIGAN. 



Specific Character. — Bill very stout. Bill as hiorh as the distance from the 

 nasal groove to its tip. Tail always black, narrowly tipped with white ; wing, 

 except upper coverts, pure white. 



Summer. Male. — Head, neck, and jugulum deep cinnamon rufous ; whole 

 upper parts except wings, paler, more fulvous brown, broadly and closely barred 

 with black. Top of head spotted with black, and the jugulum and neck with 

 scattered bars of the same 



Female. — Entire plumage except wings, legs and tail, fulvous buff heavily 

 barred and spotted above, and regularly barred beneath with black. 



Winter. — Entire plumage, except the tail (which is black with a white tip), 

 immaculate snowy- white; shafts of primaries black. 



Length, 15 to 17 inches ; wing about 8 ; tail 5|. 



Habitat. — Arctic America from Newfoundland to Sitka. Mr. C. J. Bampton, 

 Registrar of Algoma, also reports this bird as a rare winter visitor about Sault 

 Ste. Marie. Mr. Alexander H. Taylor of Ottawa, also reports that some winters 

 it may frequently be seen on the market there, having been brought in by the 

 hunters from the back country. 



The peculiar change of plumage of these birds is a provision of nature shown 

 in the covering of many of the birds and animals of the Arctic regions, as the 

 Arctic fox, hares, leemings, owls, etc. It enables the defenceless ones to escape 

 more readily the observation of their many enemies and the foxes, bears, owls, 

 etc., the more readily to approach their prey. 



This Grouse is said to be quite equal, as a game bird, to the Scotch Grouse, 

 ^vhich it is not unlike. As an article of food they are considered equal to any 

 other of the members of this family. 



