200 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



black, beneath more regularly and distantly barred with 

 the same; quills, secondaries, and bend of wing white. 

 Fall plumage : Ground-color of upper parts pale brownish, 

 mixed with grayish, very minutely freckled and more 

 coarsely vermiculated with dusky, the latter having a ten- 

 dency to form irregular spots and coarser bars on back and 

 scapulars ; outermost wing-coverts, quills, and secondaries 

 white; head and neck more fulvous and more distinctly 

 barred with dusky ; chest, upper breast, sides, and flanks 

 colored and marked much like upper parts, but vermicula- 

 tions more regular (forming distinct bars anteriorly), and 

 black spots wholly wanting. Eggs 1.69 X 1.17, not with 

 certainty distinguishable from) those of L. lagopus, but 

 usually less heavily spotted, or less densely speckled, the 

 general aspect averaging lighter in color. Hab. Arctic 

 America in general, except northern extremity of penin- 

 sula of Labrador and region thence northward, Greenland, 

 and the Aleutian Islands ; southeastward to Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence (Anticosti). 



302. L. rupestris (Gmel.). Rock Ptarmigan. 

 e 2 . Summer male : Similar to corresponding stage of L. rupestris, 

 but less regularly and coarsely barred above. Summer fe- 

 male : Above chiefly black, this varied irregularly with 

 pale grayish buff, mostly in form of borders to the feathers 

 and spots along their edges, or, occasionally, imperfect 

 bars, these latter most, distinct on wings, where the two 

 colors are in about equal proportion; lower parts light 

 grayish buff, everywhere coarsely barred with black. 

 Young : Above light brown, irregularly barred and 

 coarsely blotched with black, this prevailing on back, 

 scapulars, and tertials ; chest, breast, sides, and flanks 

 with ground-color more buffy, this more regularly and 

 coarsely barred with black ; rest of lower parts dull white. 

 Downy young : Similar to same stage of L. lagopus, and 

 perhaps not always distinguishable with certainty, but 

 usually darker, with less of rusty tinge above, chestnut of 

 crown darker, sides of head more strongly tinged with 

 olive-grayish, black markings behind eye broader, and 

 usually a black streak or spot under eye, which is appar- 

 ently wanting in L. lagopus. Eggs 1.65 X 1.17, similar in 

 color to those of L. rupestris. Hab. Greenland, islands 

 on western side of Cumberland Gulf, and northern ex- 

 tremity of Labrador (Ungava) 302a. L. rupestris 



reinhardti (Brehm). Greenland Ptarmigan. 

 a" 2 . Ground-color of upper parts in summer male dark brownish gray. 



