68 The Natural History of British Game Birds 
answering the male of another covey. They are fond of basking in the sun all day, 
and do not feed until the evening and early morning as grouse do, except in winter, 
when they burrow into the loose snow at all hours of the day. In Norway they 
often follow the reindeer in the winter, and dive into the holes made by these animals 
in scraping up the moss with their feet, thus obtaining a few ice-preserved berries. 
In winter they roost in the snow in a somewhat scattered formation, and not like 
partridges or grouse, which sleep close together. These roosting holes are easily seen 
by the dark pile of droppings in each. I think that in winter the Ptarmigan is spared 
as much from the inaccessible nature of its haunt as by the whiteness of its dress. 
Eagles do not seem to see them well at this season, and resort to the lower levels 
after grouse and blue hares. Most of the Ptarmigan stay all through the winter at 
the highest elevations over 2500 feet, except in very bad weather, and even then they 
ascend as soon as the wind drops and the sun comes out. If the snow drifts, they 
cannot scrape through it, and must resort to spots where the wind has swept the snow 
away wholly or in parts. I have seen Ptarmigan in October on the very summit of 
Brae Riach (4200 feet), one of the highest mountains in Scotland. 
The food of the Ptarmigan consists of the fruit and shoots of Alpine plants. They 
are especially fond of blaeberry, both leaves and fruits, the black bear-berry and small 
red cranberry. If these are plentiful they will eat nothing else, but they do devour a 
certain number of small plant leaves, notably the green leaf called in Norway " reindeer 
grass," and of which I am not sufficiently capable as a botanist to give the correct 
names. I have often seen Ptarmigan down on the grouse ground at 800 feet, but do 
not think that they eat heather ; still the evidence on this point is purely negative, and 
they may do so. 
As the winter snow patches and drifts melt in March and April, the time of hard- 
ship for the Ptarmigan ends ; for snow is a wonderful preservative, and spreads the feast 
in almost as good a state as when it covered it in October. As with grouse, the pairing 
season and the assumption of nuptial dress is deferred or advanced according to the 
weather. Good weather means plentiful food, and in consequence good condition and 
an early moult, and bad weather the reverse. 
Ptarmigan seldom commence their matrimonial affairs until the end of April. They 
do not exactly hold a " lek " like polygamous species, but the actual courting and fighting 
first takes place within a small circumscribed area, as with partridges. The cocks fight 
and "carry on" just in the same way as grouse; the males, when seeking to attract the 
females, flying up and suddenly alighting whilst uttering their loud croaks. At this season 
the call is much prolonged, and may be heard before daylight. They fight most just at 
daybreak, and the calls and fluttering are incessant until ten o'clock, when they are com- 
paratively quiet for the rest of the day until evening. I once spent three months on 
Ptarmigan ground in Iceland, and was camped amongst the birds the whole of the nuptial 
season. The fighting and show off was continuous until the end of May, when the birds 
were successfully mated. Then they are strictly monogamous, and most devoted husbands 
and wives. I have also spent the month of May in a deer forest, and have heard the 
Ptarmigan calling before daybreak, showing that they are even earlier risers than the 
blackcock. 
