EVERMANN'S PTARMIGAN. 



T^HIS peculiarly marked and very distinct species has 

 * as yet only been obtained on Attn Island, one of the 

 Aleutian chain, situated near the western extremity, and 

 about 1400 miles from Unalaska. It may be restricted 

 entirely to this island. There is no other Ptarmigan 

 known to mhabit any portion of North America which 

 can be mistaken for this bird, and it presents in its colora- 

 tion but little resemblance to any of the other species. 

 It was first obtained by Professor Evermann, and only 

 nine specimens have as yet been procured. Little or 

 nothing is known of its habits, which, however, doubt- 

 less do not differ from those of other Ptarmigan. 



LA GO PUS EVERMANNL 



Geographical Distribution. — Attu Island, Aleutian Chain. 



Adult Male in Summer. — Forehead, white; top of head and 

 back of neck, black, finely barred with tawny; loral space, 

 breast, and entire upper parts, tertials, innermost secondaries, 

 and upper tail-coverts, black, with faint vermiculations of russet 

 on rump, upper tail-coverts, and edges of tertials; sides of face 

 black and white, mixed; comb over eye, scarlet; white feathers 

 of the winter dress are interspersed among those of the back and 

 upper part of the breast; most of wing-coverts, secondaries, and 

 entire primaries, pure white, with the shafts of the primaries 

 pale brown; tail, clove brown, almost black, with narrow white 

 tips to the feathers; entire under parts, including under tail- 

 coverts, pure white; bill and claws, black. Total length, 

 13I inches ; wing, i\\ tail, sf ; tarsus, if; exposed culmen, \. 



This specimen, as indeed was the case with all those obtained, 

 is not in complete summer dress, as is proved by the few white 



i6s 



