4G2 NOUTII AMERICAN BIRDS. 



tlio (.',ii])illai'ies in tlio skin of lliu iilMldiiicn liccuiiie eii;;urge(l with soroiis fluid, 

 iiiid give to the liiid a ilisgiistiiig apin'iiniiRL'. ^Ir. J)all olitainud eggs in an 

 ()]n'n tiindia near lliu niuiitli of tiie Vukon in tliu latter jmrt of June. 

 The female (k'feniU'(l iier ne.st Imively, and rather than desert her eggs 

 all(j\ved iier.self to lie turn tu jiieces liy a dog. 



^Ir. r>iinni.ster wa.s also struck with the .strong attaehineut shown to each 

 other hy both sexes during tiie Itreeding-season. He has known the male 

 hird to sacrifice iiis o\\n life, rather than ilesert liis woundeil mate. He 

 mentions them as conunon at St. Michaels and tlie adjoining mainland 

 during the greater part of tiie year, hut especially abundant in the spring, 

 wlien they are found singly or in pairs all over the country. In the fall 

 and winter ihcy kept more to tiie tliickets of willows. Tiie greater part 

 of tiiem were suppostd to have gone into tlie wooded di.strict of the interior 

 for 1 tetter shelter and more al)uudant lood. 



The eggs of this species vary t!onsideral)ly in length and breadth ; they 

 average about l.S.'i inches in length and 1.20 in breadth, and are oval in 

 shape, one end a littlelessobtu.se than tiie other. They are all beautifully 

 variegated and marked with bold confluent l)l(jtches of a dark claret color, 

 upon a ground of a dee]) cream tinged with a reddish shading. 



Lagopus mutus, var. rupestris, Li:a( ii. 



BOCK FTABMIOAN. 



Tctrao rupcslrh, Gmklix, Syst. Nat. I, 17SS, 7.'il (Ijiiseil on Itotk fliousp of rcnuaiit). — 

 Latii.v.m, IikI. Oni. II, 1700, ;nj. — Saiiinm:, Suiii)l(iii. rmrv's Fir^t Voya<;o, pagfi 

 txcv. IticiiAunsdN, .\ip|i(iiil. I'iiny's Scicnnl Voyii^'i', .'iiS. — All). Oin. IMog. IV, 

 18^8, 483, 111. eiclxviii. Liiijiijins riiiicsti-h, Lkacii, Zoiil. .Mi.s'.;. II, '2i)0. — IJdx. List, 

 1838. — All). Syn. 208. — In. Birds Aiiicr. V, 1S42, 122, pi. cuci. — liAiui), Hints N. 

 Aiii. 18.")S, ii'i't. — Ei.i.ioT, Mouof,'. Tctnioii. pi. — (iiiAV, Cat. Brit. Mus. V, 1807, 02. 

 — Dai.i, & Hannistku, Ti-. Chicago Ac. I, 1809, 287. Tclnio (Lagopus) rtijir.stris, 

 Swains. F. lior. Am. II, 18:31, iijl, pi. Ixiv. Altmifn nijhstris, Riacil. Av. Syst. Nat. 

 ]8.'il, pajjc xxix. Hurl.- (irifKv, 1'knnant, Arctic Zuiil. II, 312. [akjujius hlmiilornm, 

 Fail I'roil. der Islaiul. dni. page (i. — Gkay, (!cii. — In. Cat. Ii. Brit. Mils. Ill, 47, 

 1844. Tctrito liiijiijiiis ishniiliciis, Silil.Ki;. Rev. Ciit. il«s Uis. d'Eur. p. 76. Tifruo 

 Mmdifiis, Bkf.hm, Eur. Vo«. II, 448. Linjopus rcinhardti, liitKilM. Likjojihs 

 (irnniliDiitintx, liluaiM, Viigcll'ang, p. cclxiv, note. ? TcffKO Idilo/tlts, Saiuni- E. Suppl. 

 Tally's First Voyage, p. cxcvii. — Saiiim:, •!. Fiaiiklin's .louv. (iS2. — Kit ii. Ajip. Pany's 

 Second Voyage, 3.'il). Tilnin {i.'I;ioi)Uk) niiitiis, IJicli. F. U. A. II, 1831, 350. Tcfmo 

 viiilii.1, Am. Oiii. liiog. V, 1830, 196. J.i'ii„,m.-< viiilus, (Ikay, Cat. 15. Miit. Mus. 

 lS(i7, 91 (Ft. Itesidntion and Ft. Simpson). Lfiiin/nis nmcrkatms, All). Syn. 1839, 

 207, R Aim. V, 1812, 110, i)l. cec. — liAiUD, liiids N. am. 1858, 037. 



Sp. CllAii. ]'>iil .'^lender; di.stniice I'miii tlii' nasal groove to tip (.,'!.")) greater than lioigtit 

 nt base (.27). In suiiiiiier the featliL-rs of hack hlack, handed distinctly with yellowish- 

 hi-own and tipped with while. In wiiitei- while, the tail hlaek; tlio male with a black 

 bar ficiiii bill Ihioiigh eyi". Size considerably le.ss than that of i. a/6«s. Length, about 

 14.50; wing, 7.oO: tail, 4.")<>. 



