226 Stejneger, Analccta OriiitJiologica. [July 



were not placed under a single heading." But if we unite them, 

 the passage referring to the Ounalaskan birds becomes simpl}' 

 meaningless ; and under No. 78 is expressly said : "On the i\leu- 

 tian Islands it [Z. rzipestris^ sic stricte !] is represented by forms 

 which are mentioned below" ; whence, therefore, came the 'No. 

 79,' if it was not originally intended to be a distinct form } VVe 

 are now justified in asking : What does the phrase on the erratum 

 leaf mean.? Was it prepared by Mr. Nelson himself, and does it 

 indicate that he has given up 'No. 79' as a distinct form } Does it 

 mean that "The detailed description of this form will \_not\ be 

 given in the account of the Birds of Alaska, now in course of 

 preparation" .? This seems to be the most reasonable supposition ; 

 but it ought to have been clearly stated. As the case is, the un- 

 lucky erratum leaf only adds to the confusion. 



There was no need, however, for Mr. Nelson to cancel 'No. 79' 

 of his list, as this form certainly is distinct and rather easily char- 

 acterized, and I take great pleasure in naming it 



Lagopus rupestris nelsoni, 



in honor of its discoverer. 



It is remarkable for the rich ferrugineous-brown of the upper 

 parts of its precestlval plumage, without gray intermixture — in 

 this respect agreeing with Lagofiis ridgwayi recently described 

 by me from the Commander Islands, it resembling, in fact, the 

 posicestival plumage of the latter, being, however, very distinct 

 from its preasstival garb. It shares, together with L. r. athkensis 

 (Turner), the uniform aspect of the upper surface and the minute 

 blackish vermiculations without crossbars, either black or white, a 

 peculiarity which gives their plumage an appearance similar to 

 the postajstival plumage of other forms ; but Nelson's bird diflers 

 from Turner's in being of a saturated brown color, while the lat- 

 ter is pale grayish sufllised with rusty. In both these forms the 

 jugulum and pra;pectus of the preoestival plumage are very dis- 

 tinctly and rather regulaidy transversely barred with black, in 

 contradistinction to the Commander Island species, which has 

 these parts almost uniform black, conscquentl}' belonging in the 

 neighborhood of X. imita and not of X. riipesti'is. 



The type of this new form is No. 93,488, U. S. Nat. Mus., a 

 fine $ collected by Mr. E. W. Nelson, on the Island of Unalashka, 

 May 18, 1877. 



