TKTRAOXID.K — THK (Wtor.-^Iv 403 



Frmnlr \n amnmcv (■14,").'^2, rtiiii'cn (iroumls, .Iiiiu' '_'!•, iSfit ; R. ManF;irlaiip). WiiiLis 

 (I'xct'iil iippci- ('(-.vcits) iinil 1('l:.s wliilc; tail (except iiitei'iiieiliie), lilaek. iiairowly tipped 

 with white. Rest ot' ])hmia;:e lij,'lit iiehraeeons 111- liiiir, sniiie Ceathefs tipjiecl willi white, 

 anil all with l)i'iiail traiisvefse liai's of lilaek, this enlor pievailiiiL'' "ii the ilorsal ceLiioii. 

 On the lower siirl'aee the liiiir liais exoeoil tho Ijlaek ones in width. Wing, T.'Jti ; taisns. 

 1.15; midillu toe. .!)(); hill, .:j.") hy .27. 



IIau. .Vrctii' .Vnieiiua. 



The L. )iui/iis of Kiii'itpe a])]H!ars to diflbr only in its summer nnd nti- 

 tumiiiil iiluiiiiiot's frtim tlie proseiit form, iind is llieii only distinmiislied 

 iiy tlie uniformly liltick foatliers on tlu' lircast in tlio ff)rinor, and tlic l)liiish 

 cast in the latter stiine. Those in the winter iilumtioe tlnit we liavc exiim- 

 ined are ahsolutely identical in size, ] import ions, and color with the Ameri- 

 can liirds. 



H.VHlTS. According' tu Iliitehins, this i'tiirmit^'an is inimerons at the two 

 extremes of Hudson's ]>ay, Imt does nut ai)pear at tlu; middle settlements of 

 York and Severn (except in very severe seasons, when the Willow (h'ouse 

 n\v. scarce; and ("ajitain Sahiiie intVirmed Ji'irhardsun that they alioiinded on 

 ^Fclville Island, Itititude 7.")', in the slimmer. Tliey arrived there in their 

 snow-white winter dress about the 12th of ^fay. V>y the end of the month 

 till' females iiad bejiun to assume their colored plumiii;e, which was com- 

 pleted liy the tirst week in .Tune, when the change in the |)luma,ue liad only 

 just commenced in tlie males. Some of the latter were found as late as the 

 middle of June in their unaltered winter [ilumaee. This (!ronse was also 

 found on the ^Melville peninsula and the Iiiirreu (Jrounds, rarely ^oing farther 

 siaith, even in the winter, than latitude 'I'.V" in the interior, Imt, on the coast 

 of Hudson's liay, descendin.ti; to latitude o.S°, and in severe seasons still 

 farther to the southward. In its oeneral manners and mode of livino' it is 

 .said to re.semhle the i^////'.y, but does not retire so far into the wooded coun- 

 try in the winter. At that sea.son it freipients the more ojieii woods on the 

 borders of lakes, especially in the (j.">th parallel, Ijut the liulk of tliis species 

 remains on the .skirts of tli(> liarreu (Jrounds. They incubate in .Tune. 



^Ir. MacKarlane found this sjiecies breedino- about Fort Anderson, and on 

 the ikirren Urounds east of the Horton iiiver. They nest, in a similar man- 

 ner to L. (t/biia, on the ffround, placin,^ the materials in a depression on the 

 ground, and usiiiLj hay, withered leaves, and a few leathers, tind makiicj; a 

 rather loose, ill-arranged nest. This is usually placed on an open common, 

 sometimes near the banks of a small stream. They were niori! early in their 

 briiedino- than the (i/lms/dH youn,!.;' Ptarmigans of a goodly size are mentioncil 

 as having been seen June IM). The eggs ranged from four to eight in number. 



The female sits very clo.se, and rather than leave will sometimes sutler 

 herself to be taken by the haml. In one instance when a nest was ap- 

 proached, the female crouched as much as jiossilile, in the hope that she 

 might not be noticed, wliicli would have hap])ened had not one of the iiarty 

 observed her eye. Her summer ])luniage was a1mo.st exactly of the same 



