1911] Swarfh : AJasla Expedition of 1909. 59 



makes it so conspicuous that it is hardly possible to overlook 

 the bird if even moderately abundant. Wherever we were told 

 of the occurrence of the Franklin grouse no hooting was heard, 

 while on those islands where C. franklini is not known to occur 

 it is one of the commonest sounds in the woods. 



Lagopus rupestris dixoni Grinnell. Dixon Rock Ptarmigan. 



The only place where any ptarmigan were observed was at 

 Port Snettisham, where Hasselborg flushed two flocks while hunt- 

 ing mountain goats in the higher mountains. He secured one 

 on August 29 (no. 9796). This is a young bird, largely in the 

 stage designated by D wight as the "first winter plumage (pre- 

 liminary) " (1900, p. 160). Patches of the juvenal plumage 

 persist on the sides of the abdomen and on the flanks. On the 

 center of the abdomen and on the sides the pure white winter 

 feathers are growing out. There are some white feathers on the 

 legs and toes, and the flight feathers are white, all but the third 

 remex, as are the greater and lesser coverts. Head, breast, back, 

 and median coverts are barred and mottled with dusky, brown 

 and black. 



While no specimens of Lagopus rupestris from the interior 

 of Alaska, in comparable plumage, are at hand, this bird is so 

 exceedingly dark colored as to suggest the probability of its 

 belonging to the island race designated by Grinnell (1909, p. 207) 

 as Lagopus dixoni. This form may prove to occupy the whole 

 of the mainland coast region, as well as certain of the adjacent 

 islands, the conditions being practically the same as on the island 

 where the type specimen was taken. 



We were told by an Indian that there were a few ptarmigan 

 on Kupreanof and Kuiu islands, seen usually during the winter 

 months, in all probability a form of the rock ptarmigan. On 

 Prince of Wales Island also we were told that they were occa- 

 sionally seen on the higher mountains in summer and occasion- 

 ally in the valleys in winter. 



Circus hudsonius (Linnaeus). Marsh Hawk. 

 An adult male, seen at Three-mile Arm, Kuiu Island, on 

 April 29, was the only individual observed during the spring. 



