THE PTARMIGAN FAMILY 



THE WILLOW PTARMIGAN 

 {Lagopus lagopus) 



Adult male, in summer — Entire upper parts, including top of head, 

 back of neck, scapular, and tertials, barred with varying chest- 

 nut and black, sometimes blotched; primaries, white, shafts 

 brownish black ; secondaries, white, shafts white ; throat, sides 

 of neck and breast, chestnut, barred with black, except on 

 throat; flanks, brown, with black bars and mottling; rest of 

 under parts, legs, and toes, white; upper tail-coverts, barred 

 chestnut and black ; tail, black, tipped with white ; bill, black. 

 Total length, about 14 inches ; wing 7I ; tail, 5|. 



Adult female, in summer — Entire upper parts, scapulars, tertials, 

 and a portion of wing-coverts, black, barred with ochraceous, 

 feathers tipped with white ; throat, sides, and front of neck, 

 buflF, irregularly barred and spotted with black ; rest of under 

 parts and under tail-coverts, buff, barred with black ; primaries, 

 white, with dark shafts ; secondaries, white ; tail, sooty black, 

 with white tip; legs and toes, brownish white; bill, black. 

 About the same size as male. The full winter plumage of both 

 sexes is pure white, with the exception of the tail, which remains 

 black. The downy young have the upper parts buff and chest- 

 nut, striped with black ; under parts, lighter. Range, Arctic 

 regions of both hemispheres. In America, south to Sitka and 

 Canadian provinces, also Newfoundland. 



An exceedingly pretty bird in both summer 

 and winter dress, the ptarmigan is little known to 

 the majority of American sportsmen, for the reason 

 that most of those who penetrate to its nearest 



221 



