316 A SPRING AND SUMMER IN LAPLAND. 



ripa," Sw. ; " keron," Lap.). — It is, I now believe, 

 generally admitted by naturalists, that the British, 

 the Scandinavian, and the Iceland ptarmigan are 

 one and the same bird ; it is probable, however, 

 that climate may have an influence on the plumage, 

 and the reader will therefore bear in mind that 

 my remarks apply only to the ptarmigan which 

 we killed on the Quickiock fells, and not to the 

 British bird, which I never saw in a state of 

 nature. This remark is called for from the cir- 

 cumstance that Mr. Gould, who looked over my 

 ptarmigan skins (which presented every stage of 

 plumage to which the Quickiock ptarmigan is 

 subject), observed that not one was so black as 

 those he had received from Snee-hatten, near the 

 Dovre fell, Norway. My remarks and descrip- 

 tions, however, are strictly correct as regards the 

 Quickiock ptarmigan, and few men have had a 

 better season's experience with them than myself. 

 This was one of my principal objects in visiting 

 Lapland, and I obtained specimens daring every 

 week of my stay. I came up when they were in 

 the pure white winter dress, and did not leave 

 until the blue autumn plumage was complete ; in 

 fact, many of the white winter feathers were 

 already beginning to appear. JSTo man in Britain 

 could have had so good an opportunity as I had 

 here, for nowhere would he be allowed to shoot 



