GROUSE 
275 
known from corresponding stages of L. rupestris by their rich rufous breasts 
and other characters. Summer females are usually deeper, but cannot 
always be distinguished from summer females of rupestris save by the 
larger bill which alone serves to separate winter specimens of the two 
species. 
Range . — Arctic regions. In Am. breeds from n. Alaska, n. Banks Land, 
and cen. Greenland s. to e. Aleutian Islands, cen. Mackenzie (in the moun- 
tains to w. cen. Alberta), cen. Keewatin, James Bay, and s. Ungava; s. 
in winter to n. B. C., Sask. Valley, Minn., Ont., and Que., accidental in 
Wise., Mich., N. Y., Maine and Mass. 
Nest , on the ground. Eggs,. 7-11, varying from cream-buff to rufous, 
heavily spotted and blotched with blackish, 1*75 x 1*20. Date, Ft. Chimo, 
Lab., June 3; Ft. Anderson, Mack., June 7. 
This abundant and characteristic Arctic bird does not nest south of 
central Labrador, but migrates southward in winter to the St. Law- 
rence, and has once been taken in northern New York and once in 
New Brunswick. An extended account of its habits will be found in “Nel- 
son’s Report on Natural History Collections made in Alaska” (p. 131). 
It is quoted by Captain Bendire in his “Life Histories of American 
Birds” (p. 70), where will be found practically all we know concerning 
the habits of this and the following members of this genus. 
301a. L. 1. alien! Stejn. Allen’s Ptarmigan. Similar to L. 1. lagopus 
but, at all seasons, primaries usually more or less mottled with fuscous or 
with some fuscous along the shaft; shafts of secondaries sometimes black. 
Range. — Newfoundland. 
“It frequents rocky barrens, feeding on seeds and berries of the 
stunted plants that thrive in these exposed situations” (Merriam, 
Orn. and Ool. , VIII, 1883, p. 43). 
302. Lagopus rupestris rupestris ( Gmel .). Rock Ptarmigan. Ad. 
cf breeding plumage. — Breast and sides rusty ochraceous closely and nar- 
rowly barred with black and more or less tipped with white; belly white; 
crown barred with rusty and ochraceous; back and upper tail-coverts black 
narrowly and irregularly but thickly barred with ochraceous and buff, and 
tipped with white; black predominating in the feathers of the center of the 
back; tail fuscous tipped with white; primaries and secondaries white, 
tertials like back. Ad. & in fall {preliminary winter) plumage. — Similar to 
the preceding, but with the feathers of the breast, sides, back, and upper 
tail-coverts finely vermiculated with black and ochraceous in about equal 
proportions. Ads. d 1 winter. — The preceding plumage is gradually replaced 
by the winter dress of snow-white, with a fuscous, white-tipped tail and 
black lores. Ad. $ breeding plumage. — Similar in color to the breeding female 
of L. 1. lagopus, but rusty markings averaging paler, particularly on under- 
parts; edgings to feathers whiter, less buffy. Ad. 9 fall {preliminary winter ) 
plumage.— -Resembling corresponding plumage of Ad. d\ but with a varying 
number of the feathers of the breeding plumage remaining. Ad. 9 and Im. 
winter. — Snowy white, tail-feathers fuscous, tipped with white; lores some- 
times black. W., 7*25; B., from N. *35; depth of B. at N., *32. 
Remarks. — In any plumage rupestris and its allies may be distinguished 
from lagopus by their smaller bill. 
Range. — Arctic Am. Breeds from Melville Is. to Melville Peninsula 
and s. on the Barren Grounds from Alaska to Ungava; also on alpine sum- 
mits s. to cen. Yukon; s. in winter to s. Mackenzie and s. Ungava. 
Nest, usually placed among the dwarf brush or sedge-covered patches of 
the tundras. Eggs , 6-10, pale cream or yellowish buff, sometimes with a 
20 
