164 OUR RARER BIRDS 



and blotched with rich liver-brown, and are not so profusely 

 marked as the eggs of that bird. They are eminently pro- 

 tective in colour, and are very difficult to see as they lie 

 amongst the little stones and uneven ground. The female, 

 too, in her protective dress, sits closely over them ; but she 

 never covers them when she runs off for a little time to feed. 

 Shortly after the young are hatched they run about with 

 their parents ; but if a Hawk or an Eagle should appear the 

 whole brood scatter with great speed and hide themselves 

 amongst the stones and plants, where they keep perfectly 

 motionless until the danger has passed. I should here 

 mention that the Ptarmigan is a monogamous species like the 

 Ked Grouse, and it appears to pair every season. 



As soon as the young can fly, the Ptarmigan gather into 

 flocks which roam about the highest mountain tops in quest 

 of autumn fruits. A word as to the change of plumage in 

 the Ptarmigan. This bird for three parts of the year is in 

 the moult. Except in winter it appears to be incessantly 

 changing its feathers to adapt itself to the varying colours of 

 its haunts. In spring its dress is dark brown, mottled with 

 yellowish-brown; and in autumn it changes to pale gray, 

 sprinkled with black. The summer plumage is somewhat 

 intermediate between these two extremes. The quill feathers, 

 however, are only changed once, in autumn. It is very 

 probable that many of the feathers simply change colour 

 gradually from the root to the tip, and are not moulted. 



