202 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



head and neck more coarsely and regularly barred ; chest, breast, 

 sides, and flanks nearly like upper parts. Fall female : Similar to 

 male, but more ochraceous, with heavier black markings (?). 

 Young : Above light brownish gray, or grayish brown, densely 

 vermiculated with black, and with scattered irregular large spots 

 of the same ; two outer quills partly white, four innermost ones 

 entirely white, the rest dull grayish ; tail-feathers mottled brownish, 

 like back ; anterior and lateral lower parts dull buify, irregularly 

 barred, vermiculated, and spotted with black ; rest of lower parts 

 plain, dull grayish buffy white. Length 12.00-13.00, wing 6.50-6.70. 

 Eggs 1.68 X 1-15, cream-color or buff, speckled with dark brown and 

 black. Hab. Alpine summits of Eocky Mountains, south to New 

 Mexico, north into British America (as far as Fort Halkett, Liard's 

 . Eiver), west to higher ranges of Oregon, Washington Territory, 

 and British Columbia. 



304. L. leucurus SWAINS. White-tailed Ptarmigan. 



GENUS TYMPANUCHUS GLOGER. (Page 185, pi. LIX., fig. 1.) 



Species. 



COMMON CHARACTERS. Above brownish, barred (sometimes spotted also) with 

 dusky and buff; beneath white broadly barred or banded with brown ; quills 

 brownish gray, their outer webs spotted with buff or whitish ; chin, throat, and 

 cheeks buff, the last marked with a cluster of brown or dusky spots ; a dark brown 

 stripe on side of head, from corner of mouth beneath eye and across upper part of 

 ear-coverts ; above this a buff stripe, interrupted above the eye. Adult male : Sides 

 of neck with an erectile tuft of rather stiff elongated feathers, the longest of which 

 are 2.50 or more in length ; tail-feathers without bars or other markings, except the 

 narrow whitish tip. Adult female : Neck-tufts rudimentary, the longest feathers 

 not more (usually much less) than 2.00 in length ; tail-feathers with numerous 

 distinct bars of light brown or buffy. Nest on ground in meadows or other open 

 situations. Eggs 8-12, or more, light drab, olive, or dull buffy, usually plain, but 

 sometimes slightly speckled with darker. 



a 1 . Darker bars of back and rump single, very broad, solid black ; brown bars on 

 sides and flanks .30 or more wide, unicolored ,* wing more than 8.50 in 

 adult male, usually much more than 8.00 in adult female. 



b 1 . Scapulars without conspicuous whitish terminal spots ; neck-tufts of male 

 composed of more than ten parallel-edged feathers, with obtusely 

 rounded or, sometimes, nearly truncated tips. Young : Above, includ- 

 ing tail, light brownish, the feathers with conspicuous mesial streaks 

 of white and large blotches of black ; outer webs of quills spotted with 

 whitish ; top of head rusty brownish, with a median black patch or 

 stripe ; a dusky patch on ear-coverts ; lower parts buffy whitish, with 

 rather irregular broad bars of grayish brown, these breaking up ante- 



