BIEDS— TETEAONIDAE — LAGOPUS RUPESTRIS. 
635 
of settling the synonymy of the different species, and can only call this one Lagopus albus as a 
provisional appellation. Bonaparte, in his list of Tetraonidae, in Comptes Kendus XLV, Sept. 
1857, 428, assigns to America three species: L. rupestris, Lath., with L. americanus , Aud., 
and lagopus of American writers as synonyms ; L. groenlandicus, Brehm., with L. reinhardtii ? 
Brehm, as synonyms, and L, leucurus. The European white ptarmigans are given as L. 
albus, L. mutus, and L. islandorum, Faber, the latter differing from albus in the stouter bill. 
It will be noted that this difference of bill appears to characterise the Newfoundland ptarmigan 
as compared with those from Hudson's bay. As, however, the original Tetrao albus of Gmelin is 
based primarily on descriptions of American specimens, such as Lagopede de la Baie de Hudson 
of Buffon, White partridge of Ellis, &c, it will be proper to use it here, whatever be its 
relationship to European forms. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Collected by — 
Length. 
Stretch 
3f wings. 
Wing. 
4520 
4519 
4518 
1968 ? 
2852 ? 
3887 
6923 
6924 
8084 
8080 
St. John's, N. F 
do 
Feb. — , 1856 
do 
do 
14. 40 
15. 20 
24.00 
24.20 
7. 25 
7.50 
do 
8 
Q? 
Labrador 
Summer 
do 
S. F. Baird 
do 
do 
Trois Rivieres, Can 
Red river, H. B. T 
T. Broome 
: do 
Hudson bay 
Winter 

8 
do 
......do 
LAGOPUS RUPESTRIS, Leach. 
Rock Ptarmigan. 
Tetrao rupestris, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 751. Based on rock grouse of Pennant. — Latham, Ind. Orn. II, 1790, 
312. — Sabine, Supplem. Parry's First Voyage, page cxcv. — Richardson, Append. Parry's Second 
Voyage, 348.— Aud. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 483 ; pi. 368. 
Lagopus rupestris, Leach, Zool. Misc. II, 290.— Ron. List, 1838.— Aud. Syn. 208.— Ib. Birds Amer. V, 1842, 122 ; 
pi. 301. 
Tetro (Lagopus) rupestris, Swains, F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 354 ; pi. lxiv. 
Magtn rupestris, Reich. Av. Syst. Nat. 1851, page xxix. 
Rock grouse, Pennant, Arctic Zool. II, 312. 
Sp. Ch. — Bill slender ; distance from the nasal groove to tip greater than height at base. In summer the feathers of back 
black, banded distinctly with yellowish brown and tipped with white. In winter white, the tail black ; the male with a black 
bar from bill through eye. Size considerably less than that of L. albus. Length about 14.50 inches ; wing, 7.50 ; tail, 4.50. 
Ilab. — Arctic America. 
Bill from the nasal groove considerably longer than the greatest depth of both mandibles 
taken together. Gonys about equal to width of lower mandible below. First quill intermediate 
between sixth and seventh. Claws very large and broad, equal to the culmen. Tail of fourteen 
black feathers and four middle white ones. Tail about two-thirds the length of wings. 
