GROUSE 275 



known from corresponding stages of L. rupestris by their rich rufous breasts 

 and other characters. Summer females are usually deeper, but cannot 

 always be distinguished from summer females of rupestris save by the 

 larger bill which alone serves to separate winter specimens of the two 

 species. 



Range. Arctic regions. In Am. breeds from n. Alaska, n. Banks Land, 

 and cen. Greenland s. to e. Aleutian Islands, cen. Mackenzie (in the moun- 

 tains to w. cen. Alberta), cen. Keewatin, James Bay, and s. Ungava; s. 

 in winter to n. B. C., Sask. Valley, Minn., Ont., and Que., accidental in 

 Wise., Mich., N. Y., Maine and Mass. 



Nest, on the ground. Eggs, 7-11, varying from cream-buff to rufous, 

 heavily spotted and blotched with blackish, T75 x 1*20. Date, Ft. Chimo, 

 Lab., June 3; Ft. Anderson, Mack., June 7. 



This abundant and characteristic Arctic bird does not nest south of 

 central Labrador, but migrates southward in winter to the St. Law- 

 rence, and has once been taken in northern New York and once in 

 New Brunswick. An extended account of its habits will be found in "Nel- 

 son's Report on Natural History Collections made in Alaska" (p. 131). 

 It is quoted by Captain Bendire in his "Life Histories of American 

 Birds" (p. 70), where will be found practically all we know concerning 

 the habits of this and the following members of this genus. 



30 la. L. 1. alleni Stcjn. ALLEN'S PTARMIGAN. Similar to L. I. lagopus 

 but, at all seasons, primaries usually more or less mottled with fuscous or 

 with some fuscous along the shaft; shafts of secondaries sometimes black. 



Range. Newfoundland. 



"It frequents rocky barrens, feeding on seeds and berries of the 

 stunted plants that thrive in these exposed situations" (Merriam, 

 Orn. and OoL, VIII, 1883, p. 43). 



302. Lagopus rupestris rupestris (GmeL). ROCK PTARMIGAN. Ad. 



d 1 breeding plumage. Breast and sides rusty ochraceous closely and nar- 

 rowly barred with black and more or less tipped with white; belly white; 

 crown barred with rusty and ochraceous; back and upper tail-coverts black 

 narrowly and irregularly but thickly barred with ochraceous and buff, and 

 tipped with white; black predominating in the feathers of the center of the 

 back; tail fuscous tipped with white; primaries and secondaries white, 

 tertials like back. Ad. <? in fall (preliminary winter) plumage. Similar to 

 the preceding, but with the feathers of the breast, sides, back, and upper 

 tail-coverts finely vermiculated with black and ocbraceous in about equal 

 proportions. Ads. d" winter. The preceding plumage is gradually replaced 

 by the winter dress of snow-white, with a fuscous, white-tipped tail and 

 black lores. Ad. 9 breeding plumage. Similar in color to the breeding female 

 of L. 1. lagopus, but rusty markings averaging paler, particularly on under- 

 parts; edgings to feathers whiter, less buffy. Ad. 9 fall (preliminary winter) 

 plumage. Resembling corresponding plumage of Ad. d", but with a varying 

 number of the feathers of the breeding plumage remaining. Ad. 9 and Im. 

 winter. Snowy white, tail-feathers fuscous, tipped with white; lores some- 

 times black. W., 7'25; B., from N. '35; depth of B. at N., '32. ^ 



Remarks. In any plumage rupestris and its allies may be distinguished 

 from lagopus by their smaller bill. 



Range. Arctic Am. Breeds from Melville Is. to Melville Peninsula 

 and s. on the Barren Grounds from Alaska to Ungava; also on alpine sum- 

 mits s. to cen. Yukon; s. in winter to s. Mackenzie and s. Ungava. 



Nest, usually placed among the dwarf brush or sedge-covered patches of 

 the tundras. Eggs, 6-10, pale cream or yellowish buff, sometimes with a 



20 



