409 
LAGOPUS ALBUS (Avp). 
WILLOW GROUSE: WHITE PTARMIGAN. 
Specific Character.—Bill very stout. Bill as high as the distance from the 
nasal groove to its tip. Tail always black, narrowly tipped with white; wing, 
_ except upper coverts, pure white. 
Summer. Male.—Head, neck, and jugulum deep cinnamon rufous; whole 
upper parts except wings, paler, more fulvous brown, broadly and closely barred 
with black. Top of head spotted with black, and the jugulum and neck with 
scattered bars of the same 
Female.—Entire plumage except wings, legs and tail, fulvous buff heavily 
barred and spotted above, and regularly barred beneath with black. 
Winter.—Entire plumage, except the tail (which is black with a white tip), 
immaculate snowy-white; shafts of primaries black. 
Length, 15 to 17 inches ; wing about 8; tail 54. 
Habitat.—Arctic America from Newfoundland to Sitka. Mr. C. J. Bampton, 
Registrar of Algoma, also reports this bird as a rare winter visitor about Sault 
Ste. Marie. Mr. Alexander H. Taylor of Ottawa, also reports that some winters 
it may frequently be seen on the market there, having been brought in by the 
hunters from the back country. 
The peculiar change of plumage of these birds is a provision of nature shown 
in the covering of many of the birds and animals of the Arctic regions, as the 
Arctic fox, hares, leemings, owls, etc. It enables the defenceless ones to escape - 
more readily the observation of their many enemies and the foxes, bears, owls, 
ete., the more readily to approach their prey. 
This Grouse is said to be quite equal, as a game bird, to tbe Scotch Grouse, 
which it is not unlike. As an article of food they are considered equal to any 
other of the members of this family. 
