168 



on the tail as many specimens of L. hemileucurus, though otherwise it closely resembles Scotch-killed 

 Ptarmigan. I may add, however, that out of a large series of skins this single specimen is the only one 

 I have seen with so much white on the base of the tail-feathers, and the other two Pyrenean specimens 

 agree closely with examples of L. mutus from other parts of Europe. Judging from the specimens lent 

 to me lately by Professor Newton, the Spitzbergen Ptarmigan is, on an average, much larger in size 

 than either L. mutus or L. rupestris, as will be seen from the table of measurements given below. 

 Unfortunately the specimens collected by Dr. von Heuglin, and examined and measured by my late 

 colleague in the preparation of our article on L. hemileucurus are not now at hand for comparison with 

 the series I now have before me, which is the more unfortunate as the measurements there given are 

 much smaller than those of specimens sent to me by Professor Newton ; but Dr. O. Finsch (Zweite 

 deutsche Nordpolfahrt, ii. p. 199) gives the measurements of the specimens 'collected by Von Heuglin as 

 wing 8"6-8 - 9 inches, tail 5-6-5-9, and hence, I fear, there is a mistake in the measurements given in our 

 former article ahove referred to. 

 leucurus, Swainson (Faun. Bor.-Am. ii. p. 356, pi. lxiii. 1831), differs from all other Ptarmigan in having 

 the tail white. Professor Spencer P. Baird gives its range as " Northern America to the west ; south- 

 ward along Rocky Mountains to Cochetope Pass, in latitude 39°." 



The following is a list of measurements of those species of Ptarmigan which are most closely 

 allied to each other : — 



L. hemileucurus 



L. rupestris 

 L. mutus . 





Culmen. 





Wing. 



Tail. 





Tarsus. 





inch. 





inches. 



inches 





inches. 



King's Bay, <S 



. 0-81 





90 



61 





1:9 



do. 2 



0-8 





8-7 



5-9 





1-87 



do. 



0-9 





9-1 



6-5 





20 



Wyde Bay. 



09 





8-8 



6-2 





1-92 



Iceland. 



0-93- 



-0-95 



7-5-7-85 



4-75 



-5-25 



1-2 -1-35 



Scotland. 



0-95- 



-1-0 



7-5-7-6 



4-55-4-8 



1-3 -1-4 



Pyrenees. 



0-98- 



•11 



7-2-7-6 



4-6 • 



-4-8 



1-25-1-37 



Italy. 



0-8 





7-8 



4-6 





1-6 



Norway. 



1-0 





7-6-7-7 



4-7 - 



-4-8 



1-3- 1-35 



The specimens figured are, on one Plate, an adult male and female in full breeding-plumage, 

 the autumn-plumaged bird being figured on the same Plate with L. rupestris in the same dress ; 

 and the winter plumage is depicted on the same Plate with the winter-killed specimen of 

 Lagopus albus. The specimens figured are those described, excepting the autumn-plumaged 

 example, which I chose as being less grey and more nearly approaching L. rupestris ; and all are 

 in my own collection. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. H. E. Dresser. 



a,6,b,2. Clash-na-Darroch, Inverness-shire, September (H. J. Elwes). c, d, e. Inverness-shire (H. Barclay), 

 f, 6 . Maristuen, Norway, June 7th, 1871 (/. A. Harvie Brown), g. Gudbrandsdalen, Norway, November 

 1870 {Collett). h, 6. Porsangerfiord, Finmark, July 9th, 1872 {Collett). 



