The White-tailed Ptarmigan 243 



Those who, like the writer, have shot on the 

 mountains of British Columbia and in the west- 

 ern states, will probably recognize this handsome 

 species, the only one of its family which sports a 

 white tail. Even careless eyes could hardly fail 

 to notice the distinguishing mark, for be the bird 

 trotting ahead, or whirring away, the snow-white 

 badge is like the helmet of Navarre. Unlike 

 many of its kin, this bird is not troubled with 

 overconfidence in man, but is apt to fly smartly 

 and present none too easy a mark. It is also 

 quite a runner, and taken altogether, the "snow- 

 quail," as the miners call it, is a fit quarry for an 

 expert, especially if he be a " tenderfoot," unused 

 to Alpine work and the pure, thin air of the 

 heights ; for this ptarmigan is a lover of high alti- 

 tudes, seldom, if ever, being seen lower than five 

 or six thousand feet. In Colorado and British 

 Columbia I found it quite plentiful, and have a 

 distinct recollection that every bird I bagged was 

 fairly earned. Men whose experience has been 

 confined to the East have no idea how one's heart 

 will thump and the hands shake during the first 

 weeks of actual mountaineering. Frequently, far 

 too frequently, there is genuine climbing to be 

 done, and no tenderfoot can do much of it and 

 remain at all steady. In fact, nine out of every 

 ten men are startled, if not positively scared, by 

 the effect upon them of an hour's stiffish work. 



