292 GROUSE AND OTHER LAND BIRDS 



without apparently noticing him. They are very 

 strong on the wing, not any faster than the ruffed 

 grouse, but capable of sustaining much longer 

 flights, occasionally going five to six miles with- 

 out resting. 



In small bunches and in snowy and mild wea- 

 ther they are quite tame, and when feeding in 

 the thick willow bottoms it is hard work to get 

 them to rise out of them. After feeding they 

 congregate around some clump of willow, and 

 scratching a small hollow in the snow, will lie per- 

 fectly still for hours, the top of the head just level 

 with the snow, the black eye and beak alone be- 

 traying their presence. The popular idea of 

 their diving in the snow to escape pursuit is 

 most ridiculous, At night they will occasionally 

 burrow in the snow, but only during high winds or 

 very cold weather, the usual way of resting being 

 the small hollow mentioned. Another rather re- 

 markable thing in connection with ptarmigan is 

 the apparent disproportion of the sexes. Out of 

 the many thousands that I have killed and exam- 

 ined, only about twenty-five per cent were males. 

 In winter they prefer low valleys and the borders 

 of rivers and lakes and dense willow patches, but 

 as the season advances they seek the higher 

 ranges, choosing those that face the midday sun. 

 When flying over water, as they often do in cross- 

 ing bays or large rivers, they keep very near the 

 surface, just about a foot or so above it. Over 



