ON THE ORNITHOLOGY OF LAPLAND. 333 



a bare fell, without a patch of covert, and although 

 they were squatting within ten yards of me, I have 

 had the greatest difficulty in seeing them ; and 

 truly do they need some protection, for although, 

 perhaps, the ptarmigan has less to fear from man 

 than any other game bird, it has, nevertheless, many 

 enemies — the fell fox and the weasel creep upon 

 them when crouched on the ground, and the 

 gyr-falcon and peregrine strike them down with 

 unerring aim when in the air ; but so swift and 

 strong on the wing is the ptarmigan that in a fair 

 chase I have seen them distance the falcon. Al- 

 though they furnish food for falcons, weasels, 

 foxes, and owls (which swarm on these fells during 

 the summer), so prolific are they, and so wide and 

 inaccessible is the extent of barren country over 

 which they range, that their number on these fells 

 is incredible and never likely to diminish as long 

 as the fell tracts retain their original wild 

 character. 



In the summer the food of the ptarmigan 

 seems to consist entirely of leaves, flowers, and 

 fruit of the fell shrubs. The young live much on 

 insects, and in the winter the frozen fruit of the 

 crowberry and cranberry afford them amply supply 

 of food, and there are always bare places, even on 

 the highest fells, from which the wind has blown 

 the snow. 



