354 



July 13, 1858. 



Dr. Gray, F.R.S.,V.P., in the Chair. 



The following papers were read : — 



1 . On a New Species of Ptarmigan. By John Gould, 

 F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., etc. 



Everything which tends to increase our knowledge of so important 

 a group of birds as the Tetraonidce must be regarded with especial 

 interest ; and hence I have great pleasure in exhibiting to the meet- 

 ing a skin, imperfect though it be, of what I believe to be a new 

 species of this family. I may remark that, while many specific 

 names have been given to some species of this group, others appear 

 to have been passed over unnoticed, of which latter the bird now 

 before us is an instance in point, for I believe that it has not as yet 

 received a specific appellation. It is to be regretted that the speci- 

 men is not in a better state of preservation ; it furnishes, however, 

 sufficient materials for a good description. Its native habitat is 

 Spitzbergen, where I believe it is plentiful. It was brought to this 

 country by Edward Evans, Esq., of Neath, who shot it during a visit 

 to that part of the world in the summer of 1856; the specimen, 

 which is that of a female, is of course in its summer plumage, as at 

 no other season are these high northern lands visited by travellers. 

 In size it considerably exceeds our Common Ptarmigan, from which 

 it differs very remarkably in the colouring of the tail ; the basal half 

 of nearly all the feathers being white and the apical half black, nar- 

 rowly fringed with white at the extreme tips. As is the case with 

 all other Ptarmigans in their summer plumage, the primaries are 

 white ; in this species most of the secondaries and the wing-coverts 

 are also white ; the remainder of the plumage is rayed with black 

 and ochreous yellow, the black predominating on the upper surface, 

 while the feathers of the flanks are beautifully and equally barred 

 with these two colours ; the feet are white, the nails jet-black, and 

 the bill brown. The total length of the bird is about 16 inches, of 

 its wing 8^ inches, tail 5^, tarsi If. I propose to call this species 

 Layopus hemileucurus. 



With much kindness Mr. Evans sent me the only skin he pro- 

 cured, accompanied by permission to describe and make any other 

 use of it I pleased, and the following note respecting it : — 



" The skin sent is the only one I have from Spitzbergen, though 

 I shot many. The bird was so plentiful, that, thinking I could 

 always procure examples, I neglected to preserve any at the time, 

 and was obliged to come away at last with only this one. The hen 

 birds had all assumed their summer plumage ; but the males had 

 not changed a feather, though the old ones, which had become very 

 ragged and dirty, would almost fall off on being touched. I started 

 one hen from her nest, or rather from the little dry hollow where 



