98 PTARMIGAN SHOOTING. 



Lomond in the western highlands, and dwell for a 

 space in the shepherd's hut of the mountains of 

 Ross and Inverness, ere we can now accomplish the 

 feat of securing a few brace of these wild birds. The 

 Grampian range is the most southerly resort of the 

 ptarmigan at present. It is often tracked by its call, 

 a low, wild, wailing note, or by the cluck of the 

 female. They appear little to dread the sight of 

 man, but will, amid the mountain mosses, run before 

 him, or drop from ledge to ledge of the precipitous 

 rock, as slowly and silently as though practising a 

 lesson taught by reason. In the spring and summer 

 they are very tame. Their flight is low and wheeling, 

 and the whiz of the wing not to be heard even in 

 the rarefied atmosphere of their chosen dwelling- 

 place. Their nests are very difficult of discovery, 

 being placed under rocks and stones; and the female, 

 following the true bird instinct, always leaves the nest 

 in being alarmed, and wheels away over the rocks, 

 clucking as she goes. This bird is not indigenous 

 to Ireland. 



The Lagopus rupestris is considered a distinct 

 species, in the British list of " Ptarmigan," by some 

 authors ; but as Mr. Yarrel is far from satisfied that 

 the L. rupestris is anything but " a seasonal or sexual 

 variety" of the L. mutus, we will only give the speci- 

 fication of the female bird, shot by Sir W. Jardine, 

 on Ben More, Sutherlandshire. " The rock ptar- 

 migan. The entire length is rather more than twelve 

 inches ; seven and a half inches from the wing to the 



