lyy NATURAL niSTORY COLLECTIONS IN ALASKA. 



Lagopus kupestris nelsoni Stej. Nelson's Ptarmigau. 



lu liis i)aper on the bird.s of Bering Sea in Tlie Cruise of tbe Covwin, Mr. Nelsou gives two 

 accounts of tbe Eock Ptarmigan, numbered, respectively (78) and (79), botli, bowever, being placed 

 under tbe same beadings, viz, Lagopus rupestrls (Gm.) Leach. The Itock Ptarmigan. It ueeds 

 but a glauce at tbe second account (79) to show that Mr. Nelson considered tbe bird bere treated 

 of to be different from the one previously mentioned (78). In fact he states that " the detailed de- 

 scription of this form will be given in the account of the Birds of Alaska, now in course of prepara- 

 tion." He bad thus noted the distinguishing characters of tbe form which ^as subsequently 

 named in his honor by Dr. Stejneger, and had intended to describe it in his report ((. e., tbe present 

 one), and to merely designate it by name in The Cruise of tbe Corwin. Why be subsequently failed 

 to set this forth in bis errata slip I am at a loss to understand. He there complicates tbe matter 

 by stating that " through an error, tbe notes under numbers 78 and 79 were not placed under a 

 single heading." The form was named by Dr. Stejneger in Auk, July, 1884, p. 220, and partially 

 described. The types of the race were taken by Mr. Nelson at Unalaska, in spring, and winter 

 .specimens were taken by Dall at the same place. A fine series of this bird, collected by Mr. Town- 

 send during the summer of 1886 at Unalaska, corresponds well with the types and confirms tbe 

 validity of tbe race. 



According to Mr. Nelson, this Ptarmigan is common on the Aleutian Islands, at least from 

 Unalaska eastward, where it frequents the mountain tops and slopes, breeding there in June. 



Subjoined is a description of tbe bird, prepared by Dr. Stejneger at my request. — H. W. H. : 



2 ad. (U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 73488. Type. Uualaska Island, Alaska, May 18, 1377. Coll. E. W. Nelson, No. 

 19.) Top of liead and neck all around bright tawny brown, inclining to burnt sienna on the former, barred with 

 black ; rest of upper surface of the body deep umber-brown, eaeli feather being very finely and densely vermiciilated 

 with blackish; lores and eye-region black, more or less interspersed with old white feathers; wings white, with a 

 few of the coverts and the tertiaries like the back, the six or seven outer primaries with the shafts duskj- above; 

 under surface from the breast backwards, iucludiug the feathering of the feet, white except a few new feathers on the 

 llauks, which are like those of the back ; most of the nasal plumes, the feathers on the forehead, those on chin, throat, 

 and sides of face below the eyes .are old white feathers, remains of the winter plnmage, and a few similar ones are 



stated that "there is much difference in the color" in summer specimens of T. rapesirh and T. lagopus. " The upper 

 plumage of the 'Ptarmigan' (T. lagopus) is ciuerous, with undulating, narrow black lines and minute spots, whereas 

 in the Rock Grouse each feather is black, and cut by transverse breadlines or bars of a reddish-yellow »•*«•* 

 with spaces of black between them broader thiiu the bars. The feathers are tipped with a light color in the msile, 

 approaching to white in the female." 



The m.iles (rupestris) average 13i and the females 12^ inches in length, and both were inferior iu size to 

 specimens of T. lagopus. The two agree in the character of bill and claws and the black bar over the eye. 



The ground-color of the eggs of )-«j)e)(ris is " pale yellowish-brown, irregularly blotched and spotted with a 

 darker brown." From the information procured from Sabine's contribution to the appendix of Parry's Voyage, lam 

 convinced that his rupestris is identical with reinhardti of Greenland an 1 the adjoin ing American coasts, whereivs 

 T. lagopus, which he describes as hav.ng been found iu tbe country south of Barrow's Strait and east of Regent's 

 Inlet, but as not met with in the North Georgian Islands, and which he claims is the Ptarmigan of Scotland, is 

 owv rupestris. Tlie specific characters of T. lagopus of Gineliu mark it as referable to rupestris, the summer jiluuiage 

 of which is ciuerous, with minute black lines, or spots, ex ccpt on the head and neck, where it is characterized by the 

 same author as marked with broad bauds of white. The white prevails on the throat and the back, and ferruginous 

 on the crown and hinder p.art of the head. The maiu portion of the preceding notes are from S.abine iu a supple- 

 ment to Parry's First Voyage, under the heading of T. lagopus. From the statements made here it appears thai 

 the birds from the coast northeast of Hudson's Bay are thus marked with fine undulating lines in summer and 

 heavier-barred markings .about the neck. The male of rupestris in summer is distinguished by the large amount of 

 black forming the ground-color of the feathers .and by the distinct barring of yellow or buff. Audubon's figure of 

 his Lagopus umericanus answers perfectly to specimens contained in the National Museum from Cumberland Gulf 

 and the opposite coast of Greenland, and is undoubtedly referable to reinhardti. It is quite likely the specimens 

 recorded by authors as rupestris itom the high northern latitudes along the Greenland coast and the adjoining uiainlaud 

 m.ay also be referable to this species. While reiH/iarrf/i is distinguished by the heavy black barrings which divides 

 the feathers into two or three i)arts and the interspaces with grayish and butfy-brown spaces, rupestris has its plumage 

 covered with fine vermiculations and dottings of varying shades of brown, buft'y, and black. It was my intention 

 to make a satisfactory arrangement of the American Ptarmigan, but 1 find the amount of material contained iu the 

 National Museum collection insntficicnf, as the individual variation among these birds requires a large series of .speci- 

 mens from their entire range iu order to give satisfaetorv data for generalizations. 



