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of a belt of swampy ground covered with rank grass, with high, rugged and barren mountains 

 rising behind, covered with snow, except on their sharp ridges and steep sides ; these mountains, 

 which are interspersed with vast snow-clad plains, stretch away for miles inland, and rise with 

 beautiful cones in the distance; here and there, in a few sheltered spots, a scanty supply of 

 small flowers is to be found, mostly belonging to the following families : — Draba, Eanunculus, 

 Saxifraga, &c. The dark-grey rocks were covered with lichens in great variety, but of a gloomy 

 and sombre hue, in strict keeping with the wildness of the scene ; here, too, the reindeer-moss 

 grew in great abundance. I may remark that the Ptarmigans were so tame that we could easily 

 have knocked them down with a long stick — doubtless from being so unaccustomed to the intru- 

 sion of human visitors." 



Dr. A. J. Malmgren (J. f. O. 1863, p. 370) writes as follows: — "The Ptarmigan occurs 

 sparingly on the coast of Spitsbergen. On the 4th of June I saw a pair at Wyde Bay in full 

 winter plumage ; and Mr. Pertensen shot one of them with a bullet : this example is now in 

 the Stockholm Museum. The most northern locality where Ptarmigan are found is on the north 

 shore of Brandywyne Bay, in 80° 24'. I saw a pair there flying near the summit of a mountain, 

 but could not approach them, as the mountain was inaccessible. At Lomme Bay, Ptarmigan with 

 their young were seen on the 22nd of August. Their food consists of leaves and buds of 

 SaxifragcB, Salicc polaris" &c. Two years later he published the accompanying observations: — 

 " It is rare on Spitsbergen. On the last expedition I only observed a single male on the Isefjord, 

 which I shot, and which is now in the Stockholm Museum. It was found between the rocks, in 

 a cup-shaped valley, about 2000 feet above the sea-level, and fed on flowers, flower-buds, and 

 leaves of Dnjas octopetala, which grew so abundantly there that it carpeted the ground. In its 

 crop I found nothing but fresh remains of Dryas. I only once heard its note, which was a deep 

 bass note, like arrr or errr, and resembled the croak of a frog (Rana temporaria). Mr. O. 

 Fabricius says the same of the note of the Greenland Ptarmigan. We did not discover the nest 

 on our last expedition ; and, as far as I know, Edward Evans is the only person who has done so ; 

 he found a nest containing two eggs, in June 1855, at Isefjord." 



Dr. Th. von Heuglin states " I only observed this species at Eisfjord (Sassen Bay, 

 Advent Bay, and Alkhorn), where it is not rare, as my companion shot twenty-one in a few 

 hours. It occurs also in Northern Spitsbergen. The statement of Mr. B. von Lowenigh to the 

 effect that it is common at Whales Point (Erganzungsheft no. 16 der Geogr. Mitth. p. 42) must 

 rest on an error. It will be interesting to ascertain which form of Lagopus is found on Nowaja 

 Semlia. Will it be L. Irachydactylus ? " 



From Dr. von Heuglin's specimens our Plate has been drawn ; and we have to express to 

 Dr. Otto Finsch our best thanks for allowing us, on behalf of the Naturwissenschaftlicher Verein 

 of Bremen, to retain the skins for some time, so as to allow of a drawing being made. 



The descriptions of the summer and winter plumages have been drawn from other sources ; 

 but the autumnal dress is here noticed and figured for the first time. A good plate of the 

 summer dress is given by Mr. Elliot (I. c). 



