388 



PTARMIGAN. 



their length, except in the middle ones ; the onter feather is very slen- 

 der, and nearly an inch longer than the second, the others decrease in 

 length proportionably, till the whole length of the four middle feathers 

 is not above half so long as the outer ; legs and toes rufous-brown ; 

 claws dusky black, not much hooked, and the middle claw long, imper- 

 fectly pectinated on the inside, and truncated. 



We are informed this species inhabits Germany, particularly the bor- 

 ders of the Rhine, near Strasburgh, and is sometimes seen in France, 

 especially Lorraine ; but is most plentiful in the Deserts towards the 

 Caspian Sea, frequenting the dry plain in great flocks. Is also common 

 throughout the whole Desert of Independent Tartary, as far as the 

 rivers Kamyschlossca and Irtish, but no further in Siberia ; and in 

 general is not observed beyond fifty-three degrees to the northward. 

 Another specimen was killed by Mr. Bullock in Unst, in Zetland, the 

 13th of August, 1812. 



PROCELLARIA (Linnaeus.)— * Petrel, a genus thus character- 

 ised. Bill of mean length, or longer than the head, very hard, cutting, 

 depressed and dilated at the base ; point compressed, arched, both the 

 mandibles channelled, suddenly bent to a point, the under one com- 

 pressed and grooved, forming an angle ; nostrils prominent upon the 

 surface of the bill, reunited and concealed in a tube, which forms a 

 single opening, or shews two distinct orifices ; legs middle sized, often 

 long, slender, shanks compressed; three toes before, long, wholly 

 webbed ; hind toe wanting, all but a claw much pointed ; wings long, 

 the first quill the longest.* 



PROVENTRICULUS.— * Stomach-porch, an enlargement of the 

 gullet before it enters the true stomach or gizzard, and well supplied 

 with glands. This is very large in the ostrich, small in poultry, and 

 wanting in the kingfisher. 1 It is also termed JBulbus glandulosus* 



PTARMIGAN {Lagopus vulgaris, Vieillot.) 



*Tetrao Lagopus, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 274. 4 Faun. Suec. No. 203 Gmel. Syst. 1. 



p. 749 Raii, Syn. p. 55. 5.— Will. p. 127 Briss. 1. p. 216. 12.— Tetrao 



rupestris, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 751. sp. 24 Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. p. 640. sp. 11 — 



Lagopus vulgaris, Flem. Br. Anim. p. 43 Le Lagopede, Buff. Ois. 9. p. 26'4. 



t. 9.— Ib. pi. Enl. 129. female in winter plumage, and pi. 494. female assuming 

 the summer plumage — L'Attagas blanc, Buff. Ois. 2. p. 262. — Tetras Ptaimi- 



gan, Temm. Man. d'Orn. 2. p. 468 Ib. Pig. et Gall. 3. p. 185. t. anat. 10. f. 



1, 2. and 3.— Haasenfiissige Waldhuhn, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. 3. p. 1347 — 

 Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 298.— Ib. Yog. Deut, 2. t. Heft. 19. winter and 



summer plumage — Ptarmigan, Br. Zool. 1. No. 95. t. 43 Arct. Zool. 2. p. 



315. D Lewin's Br. Birds, 4. t. 134.— Lath. Syn. 4. p. 741. 10 — Wale. Syn. 



1 Blumenbach, Anat. Comp., p. 97. 



