WHEN THE PTARMIGAN CHANGES COLOR. 



I spent the fall and a winter of '97 about 

 Log Cabin, Lake Bennett, and at Lake 

 Toochi, and between September and April 

 I killed many grouse. There seemed to be 

 3 different kinds of grouse, yet they looked 

 much alike during that time ; that is, there 

 was scarcely any difference in the plu- 

 mage. 



In the early winter we found in the open 

 country near Log Cabin a grouse that was 

 almost white, having a few black feathers 



hard hunting when I wanted fresh meat. 

 J. H. Ferryman, Omaha, Neb. 



I referred Mr. Ferryman's letter to Dr. 

 A. K. Fisher, of the U. S. Agricultural De- 

 partment, who writes as follows : 



Three forms of ptarmigan may occur in 

 the general vicinity of White Pass. The 

 white tailed ptarmigan, a rather small, 

 mountain dwelling species which occurs 

 from Alaska Southward to Mount Tacoma 



A GROUP OF CHANGELINGS. 



in the wings and tail. This bird was of 

 fairly good size. Between Log Cabin and 

 Lake Toochi I killed a number of grouse 

 much like the fool hen we find in the 

 Cascade mountains in Washington. Then 

 I found a snow white grouse near the 

 lake, but much smaller than those we got 

 earlier around Log Cabin. These latter 

 were about the size of a pigeon. I hunted 

 these, as well as the brown grouse, until 

 the following April. 



Can you explain the difference in size of 

 the white grouse, or ptarmigan, and what 

 change takes place in the plumage, if any? 



I was over the trail many times before 

 the railroad was built, indeed, when there 

 was scarcely a trail, and I had to do some 



and in the Rocky mountains to New Mexi- 

 co, is smaller than either the rock ptarmi- 

 gan or the willow ptarmigan, 2 species 

 which inhabit the greater part of Alaska 

 and Northern Canada. The larger birds, 

 which Mr. Ferryman mentions, undoubtedly 

 belong to one or other of these species. 

 During the summer all ptarmigan lose their 

 white plumage, and thus become inconspicu- 

 ous. 



Mr. A. H. Dunham, Chief Warden of the 

 Alaskan Division of the L. A. S., sends me 

 the following important contribution to the 

 life history of this interesting bird : 



I have made a careful study of the 

 ptarmigan and have found it one of the 



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