202 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 
head and neck more coarsely and regularly barred ; chest, breast, 
sides, and flanks nearly like upper parts. all female: Similar to 
male, but more ochraceous, with heavier black markings (?). 
Young: Above light brownish gray, or grayish brown, densely 
vermiculated with black, and with scattered irregular large spots 
of the same; two outer quills partly white, four innermost ones 
entirely white, the rest dull grayish ; tail-feathers mottled brownish, 
like back ; anterior and lateral lower parts dull buffy, irregularly 
barred, vermiculated, and spotted with black; rest of lower parts 
plain dull grayish buffy white. Length 12.00-13.00, wing 6.50-6.70. 
Eggs 1.68 X 1.15, cream-color or buff, speckled with dark brown and 
black. Hab. Alpine summits of Rocky Mountains, south to New 
Mexico, north into British America (as far as Fort Halkett, Liard’s 
River), west to higher ranges of Oregon, Washington Territory, 
and British Columbia. 
304. L. leucurus Swains. White-tailed Ptarmigan. 
Genus TYMPANUCHUS Gtoger. (Page 185, pl. LIX., fig. 1.) 
Species. 
Common Craracters.—Above brownish, barred (sometimes spotted also) with 
dusky and buff; beneath white broadly barred or banded with brown; quills 
brownish gray, their outer webs spotted with buff or whitish; chin, throat, and 
cheeks buff, the last marked with a cluster of brown or dusky spots; a dark brown 
stripe on side of head, from corner of mouth beneath eye and across upper part of 
ear-coverts; above this a buff stripe, interrupted above the eye. Adult male: Sides 
of neck with an erectile tuft of rather stiff elongated feathers, the longest of which 
are 2.50 or more in length ; tail-feathers without bars or other markings, except the 
narrow whitish tip. Adult female: Neck-tufts rudimentary, the longest feathers 
not more (usually much less) than 2.00 in length; tail-feathers with numerous 
distinct bars of light brown or buffy. West on ground in meadows or other open 
situations. Hggs 8-12, or more, light drab, olive, or dull buffy, usually plain, but 
sometimes slightly speckled with darker. 
a. Darker bars of back and rump single, very broad, solid black; brown bars on 
sides and flanks .30 or more wide, unicolored; wing more than 8.50 in 
adult male, usually much more than 8.00 in adult female. 
b. Scapulars without conspicuous whitish terminal spots; neck-tufts of male 
composed of more than ten parallel-edged feathers, with obtusely 
rounded or, sometimes, nearly truncated tips. Young: Above, includ- 
ing tail, light brownish, the feathers with conspicuous mesial streaks 
of white and large blotches of black; outer webs of quills spotted with 
whitish; top of head rusty brownish, with a median black patch or 
stripe; a dusky patch on ear-coverts; lower parts buffy whitish, with 
rather irregular broad bars of grayish brown, these breaking up ante- 
