S68 



A few particulars of two other species of Ptarmigan, 

 both of which are closely allied to our own, may not be out 

 of place here. 



The Dal-ripa of Scandinavia, the sulalpina of M. Nils- 

 son, the saliceti of M. Temmiuck, and the Willow Grouse 

 of English authors, is pure white in winter, except the 

 shafts of the quill-feathers and the lower series of tail- 

 feathers, which are black ; the latter broadly tipped with 

 white ; the male has no black feathers before or behind the 

 eye : it is further distinguished from our Ptarmigan by its 

 larger size, and much stouter beak. In summer both sexes 

 assume a reddish yellow plumage, somewhat resembling 

 that of the Red Grouse, the quill-feathers and part of the 

 under surface of the body remaining white ; the claws 

 black at the base, white at the end. The male measures 

 seventeen inches in length : the wing eight inches and one 

 quarter. The female measures sixteen inches, and her 

 wing eight inches. This species is abundant in the countries 

 about Hudson's Bay, where ten thousand have been taken 

 in one winter. A coloured figure of this bird in its sum- 

 mer plumage will be found at page 72 of Edwards' Glean- 

 ings in Natural History, and in Mr. Gould's Birds of 

 Europe. 



Mr. Lloyd says that M. Nilsson considers the Scandina- 

 vian Fyall-ripa identical with our Ptarmigan, to be the same 

 bird described by Faber as common to Iceland ; but with 

 two specimens of the Iceland bird before me, obtained from 

 Mr. Procter of the Durham Museum, who brought them 

 from Iceland himself, I am induced to think Faber was 

 correct in considering the Ptarmigan of Iceland distinct, and 

 naming it accordingly Islandorum. Both the specimens I 

 possess are males, one in winter plumage, the other killed 

 in spring, and exhibiting a portion of the plumage of 



