The Common Ptarmigan 65 
and rump, but they are paler than in the previous months. At the end of this month 
many are in complete white dress, which they retain till the end of February. 
December.— A few, generally males, still retain some grey feathers. On the highest 
mountains in Scotland the proportion of pure white birds is greater than at lower 
levels or mountains facing the warmer winds of the west. 
Young and Immatures — -Young Ptarmigan in down are very similar to young 
grouse, but are smaller and more golden in tint. They grow rapidly, and can fly well 
in eight days. In first plumage they resemble, according to sex, the parents in 
autumn plumage, except that the secondaries and flank feathers have a brown tint 
instead of grey, and are irregularly marbled with dusky black like young grouse. The 
feathers of the legs, feet, and belly are thin and downy, and the bill smaller. Early 
in October they can scarcely be distinguished from adult birds. 
Distribution.— -The Ptarmigan is found throughout the high mountains of Scandi- 
navia, the Urals, and probably inhabits the mountains of Central Asia. The Ptarmigan 
of Northern Siberia is the closely allied L. rupestris, but to define the eastern limit of 
L. mutus is not at present possible. I could see very little difference between Ptar- 
migan I have collected in Iceland (where it has been described as a sub-species, 
Lagopus rupestris islandorum) , Scotland, and Norway. Most of the males of Iceland 
and Norway are somewhat blacker in July, but that is all. Throughout Greenland 
and Northern America R. rupestris is abundant, and very similar sub-species also 
exists in Newfoundland, Labrador, Canada, Alaska, and contiguous islands. In 
Northern Europe the Ptarmigan is also found in the Alps, Pyrenees, Tyrol, Styria, 
and Carinthia, but is now extinct in Transylvania. Mr. Howard Saunders states that 
it is said to occur in the mountains of Leon and Asturias. It is also supposed to 
inhabit Japan. The Lagopus hetnileucurus of Spitzbergen is closely allied to the willow 
grouse. 
The home of the Ptarmigan in the British Islands is now confined to the moun- 
tains of Scotland, though it undoubtedly once inhabited the fells of Cumberland and 
Westmorland. The late Mr. A. G. More stated {Ibis, 1865) that there is a tradition 
that it once occurred in Wales, a view expressed by Macgillivray, Thompson, and 
Graves, but Mr. Forrest has failed to find the origin of the fable. In Ireland it is 
unknown, and never existed there. Mr. Robert Service {Zool, 1887, pp. 81-89) states 
that it existed in some of the high grounds of Dumfriesshire and Galloway until 
about 1822, when the last was taken near Sanquhar; but a subsequent attempt at 
reintroduction by the Duke of Buccleuch met with no success. Howard Saunders 
states that it is found in decreasing numbers in Harris and Lewis, but I think that it 
is now extinct there. In 1830 it was known to be in the Outer Hebrides (W. Mac- 
gillivray), and John Macgillivray speaks of Ptarmigan in 1841 as occurring on Ben 
More and Hekla in South Uist. From inquiries I cannot hear that it exists there 
to-day, or that it was ever found in North Uist. Gray in 1871 speaks of it as being 
wholly confined to the rocky peaks of Harris and Lewis. I feel sure it does not 
occur in South Harris, as I traversed the whole of the high ground in 1904, and the 
local deer-stalkers had never seen or heard of it in these hills. Harvie-Brown 
did not see a single bird in (North) Harris in 1879. In 1881 it was reported to 
