288 



COMMON PTARMIGAN. 



White Game. IVilL Orn, {Aug.) p. J76.pl. 32. 



Ptarmigan. Penn. Brit. Zool. 1. Q5.pl. 43. — Pen7i. Arct. Zool, 

 2. 315. D. — Gent. Mag. 1772. pi. in p. 74. — Lath, Gen. Syn. 

 4.741. 10. — Levoin. Brit, Birds. 4. pi. 134. — Wale. Syn.2.pL 

 182.— Dow. Brit. Birds. 1. p/. 12.— Mont. Orn. Diet. 2. — 

 Mont. Orn. Diet. Supp. — Beiv. Brit. Birds. 1. 303. — Bing. 

 Anim. Biog. 2. 256. 



The Ptarmigan is fifteen inches in length : its 

 beak is black : the plumage pale brown or ash- 

 colour, elegantly crossed or mottled with small 

 dusky spots and minute bars : the head and neck 

 with broad bars of black, white, and rust- colour : 

 wings white : greater quills with black shafts : in 

 the male the head is more inclined to rufous : in 

 the month of September it begins to change its 

 plumage, and about the middle of October it is of 

 a pure white all over : the shafts of the first seven 

 quills black ; and the tail, which consists of sixteen 

 feathers, has the two middle ones white, the rest 

 black, with a little white on the tips of the second 

 feathers from the middle : the male also possesses 

 a black stripe from the nostrils to the eyes. 



Temminck considers the Rock Ptarmigan of 

 Latham to be referrible to this species, but that is 

 a much smaller bird, and is spotted with white 

 and dull orange in its summer plumage ; whereas 

 this is destitute of such marks : therefore till there 

 is more certainty respecting them, it will be better 

 to consider them as distinct, since they inhabit dif- 

 ferent countries ; and as similar varieties do not 

 occur in this kingdom, where the Ptarmigan is 

 sufficiently common, it seems to give additional 



