240 THE HUMAN SIDE OF BIRDS 



ground, stretching his neck at full length and pro- 

 ducing a growling sound. Bending and twisting 

 his neck, like a mad contortionist, he leaps into the 

 air and rolls over and over like an intoxicated clown. 

 And strange as it may seem, this foolish conduct 

 seems to please the female. Surely the tastes of 

 "the female of the species" are queer! 



The ptarmigans of Alaska wear, during the sum- 

 mer, a costume of mottled buff -and-brown ; at the 

 approach of winter this changes to a snowy white 

 one, which is worn until spring. The white-tailed 

 ptarmigan lives above the timberline, on the bare 

 and rugged mountains, south of the Yukon. This 

 species is very rare and is seldom seen, except by 

 guides who know just where they live. The rock 

 ptarmigan is somewhat larger than his cousins, and 

 is rather generally distributed, while the willow 

 grouse ptarmigan is commonly found over all the 

 tundras and open barrens of Alaska. Every one 

 who travels throughout the Alaskan mainland soon 

 becomes familiar with the willow ptarmigan and its 

 interesting ways. 



Among bird actors of the North there are a num- 

 ber that work throughout the severity of the long, 

 cold winter. The ravens are especially famed as 

 aerial performers, and may be seen in large num- 

 bers about the small towns and villages, perching on 



