THE PTARMIGAN. 



4.37 



You are above the reach of all sound from the inha- 

 bited parts of the country." * * * " A few mottled 

 pebbles, or at least what appear to be such, each 

 about twice the size of your hand, lie at some 

 distance, where the decomposed rock, and the rudi- 

 ments of what may be called the most elevated 

 mountain vegetation, just begin to ruffle the surface. 

 By and by a cloud shadows the sun, the air blows 

 chill as November, and a few drops fall, freezing 

 or melting in their descent, you cannot well tell 

 which. The mottled pebbles begin to move ; you 

 throw a stone at them to shew that you can move 

 pebbles as well as the mountain. The stone hits 

 beyond them ; they run toward your feet, as 

 if claiming your protection ; they are birds, 

 ptarmigan, the uppermost tenants of the island, 

 whom not even winds, which could uproot forests, 

 and frosts, which could all but congeal mercury, 

 can drive from these their mountain haunts. It 

 has often been observed, that of all the human 

 inhabitants of the earth, the mountaineer, be his 

 mountain ever so barren, is the last to quit ; and 

 the same holds true of the mountain bird." 



The same writer traces the different elevations 

 at which various species of game is found, beginning 

 with the pheasant, as the tenant of the lowermost 

 woods ; the partridge, of the plain ; the blackcock, 

 of the confines of cultivation ; the grouse, of the 

 lesser hills and mountain-side ; and the ptarmigan, 

 of the snow-crowned summits. 



He also adds, " in these birds we trace a sort of 

 resemblance to the general colour of the places 

 2o 



