[ 39 1 ] 
Zool. illuftr. t. 13. 19 ounces; that from the 
Hudfon’s Bay (if lt>) 24 ounces. Thefe dif- 
ferences are of little confequence, and far- 
from increafing the Hudfon’s Bay bird to 
double the fize of the European. The Bri- 
tifh Zoology fays, there is a difference in 
the fummer colours; but Mr. Edwards in- 
forms us, that he compared the Hudfon’s Bay 
bird with the defcriptions of former ornitho- 
logifts, and found them to anfwer ; he like- 
wife allures us he had the fame bird from 
Norway. Therefore I cannot help diffenting 
from the Britifh Zoology, in this one parti- 
cular, and thinking with Linneus and Briffon, 
that the European and Hudfon’s Bay ptarmi- 
gans are the fame, efpecially as the colours 
vary very much in the different fexes and at 
different feafons. To this we may add the 
teflimony of a gentleman well verfed in 
natural hiftory, who, having had opportunities, 
of comparing numbers of Hudfon’s Bay and 
European ptarmigans, affured me that lie did 
not fee any difference between them. They 
go together in great flocks in the beginning of 
October, living among the willows, of wh : ch 
they eat the tops (whence they have got the 
name of willow partridges) : about that time 
they lofe their beautiful fummer plumage, 
and exchange it it for a fnowy white drefs, 
raoft providently adapted. by its thickneis to. 
icreen them a gain ft the fe verity of the fea- 
fon, and by its colour againft their enemies , 
the • 
