LAGOPUS ALBUS. 
The principal food of this species consists of the leaves of plants, and sprouts of several kinds of willow, berries, &c. Wheelwright, in 
his account of this Ptarmigan, as quoted by Bree in his “ Birds of Europe,” says that “ the Willow Grouse, in summer, is usually found 
in valleys, mostly by the side of the little becks or mountain streams which run among’ the bushes and thickets. You always find them 
in pairs or families, with the male and female together. You not only find them, according to Nilsson, in the interior of the country, but 
even on the coasts and islands. They crouch among the dwarf birch, willow, or heather, and rarely rise until you nearly tread on them. 
“Sometimes, however, they rise very wild, and in the spring and autumn appear most shy. They almost always are on the ground, 
and very rarely perch in a tree ; but although I have myself seen, on more than one occasion, the Willow Grouse, when frightened, 
perch in the birch trees, it is so rare an occurrence that many deny it. Their flight appears to me exactly to resemble that of the Red 
Grouse, and as they fly they utter a loud cackle which much resembles ‘ eiTackackackh.’ ” 
In the shape and size of the bills of these birds the most astonishing differences exist, and I have never been able to find two exactly 
alike. They range all the way from the robust and powerful to those almost as small and delicate as characterize the Lagopus Mutus. 
This peculiarity is not confined to particular localities, else it might almost be considered of specific value ; but members of the same 
flock will differ in this respect as much among themselves, as though they were indeed of separate origin. 
With specimens before me from Lapland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Russia, and throughout the northern portion of the American 
continent, I find this variation in the bill common to all, and do not consider it as indicative of any specific distinctness, as those speci- 
mens which are in the summer dress present a general similarity of coloring in their plumage. 
Baird, in his valuable work on “ North American Birds,” in the article on this species, speaks of some specimens in his possession from 
Labrador and Newfoundland, which “ appear to have decidedly broader, stouter, and more convex bills than those from Hudson’s Bay and 
more northern countries,” and says that it is possible there may be two species. 
Among the large number of Willow Grouse obtained by Mr. Kennicott, I find specimens from Great Slave Lake, Mackenzie River, and 
Port George, as well as others brought from Lapland and Sweden, which have as Ikrge bills as any from Newfoundland ; while from these 
same localities, and out of the same flocks, are other examples with much smaller and more feeble hills. It wmuld therefore seem to be 
the reasonable conclusion, that, unless the summer dress should be very unlike the typical style of L. Alhus, this variation in the bill must 
be deemed as of no particular importance in deciding the species to -which the bird may belong, but merely one of those unaccountable 
freaks of nature occasionally met with. Thus far I have not seen any specimen of Ptarmigan of the Albus style, in its summer dress, 
which presented undoubted evidences of belonging to a different species. 
All Ptarmigan vary so much from each other, that, in order to determine a good species, many adult specimens in summer plumage 
must be available ; for I do not consider it at all likely that any species of Ptarmigan, established solely upon a skin of the bird when 
in its winter plumage, w’ould stand the test of future research, as it could present but few, if any, reliable differences to distinguish it 
from others. 
Some specimens, in winter, have the hill nearly covered with feathers, giving to it the appearance of being quite small, whereas in 
summer it rvould be the reverse; and the feathers on the legs and feet grow so long and thick as to cause the latter to seem shortened. 
I have included among the synonyms of this si^ecies the Lagopus Braeliydactylus of Temmiuck, as I cannot perceive any satisfactoi’y 
differences given in his description to constitute his specimen as distinct. The bill, nearly hidden by feathers, is characteristic of all Ptar- 
migan in the winter dress, as is, also, having the legs and feet densely covered. 
As these birds vary so gr^tly in the color of their plumage, it is not surprising that some should have the shafts of the primaries 
white; but this would not be a reliable character to establish a species upon. I have seen specimens of L. Albus in winter dress, which 
had the shafts of some of the primaries nearly white, while the rest were dai’k brown. 
From the measurements given by Temminck, although they are rather less than is usual, this bird would seem to belong to the 
Lagopus Albus ■ but as it has no black sti’ipe through the eye, it may possibly be a female of the L. Ilutus. 
Amid a number of Ptarmigan sent to me by Mr. Gould from London, for my inspection, and to whom I take this opportunity of 
expressing my thanks for his kindness, was a specimen from Arctic America, answering to the description of Braeliydactylus, which, 
excepting the white shafts of the primaries, agreed with many examples in my possession from Great Slave Lake. As none of these last, 
in the summer dress, present any material differences from the L. Albus, I cannot but consider them as identical. 
Another specimen in Mr. Gould’s series was a hybrid between this species and the Ckinace Canadensis. It was in summer dress, and 
had the slender nails and structure of feathers of the Spruce Grouse ; w'hile a number of rvhite feathers, showing an evident inclination to 
change in winter, betokened the Ptarmigan blood. 
The Willow Ptarmigan dwell chiefly upon the plains, and in this respect differ from the Lagopus Mutus, which makes its home upon 
the mountains, near the line of perpetual snow. Richardson states that, “like most other birds that summer within the Arctic circle, they 
are more in motion in the milder light of night than in the broad glare of day.” 
This species has a very wide distribution, as it is found in the high latitudes of both the Old and New Worlds, being abundant in 
Sweden, Nor-way, Lapland, Russia, Siberia, Greenland, and throughout the Arctic regions of North America. It is not found in the 
British Islands. 
In summer, the adult male has the head, neck, and breast chestnut, sometimes very dark, nearly black on the breast ; barred on the 
top of the head and back of the neck with black ; chin sometimes black, with a white spot on each side. Rest of upper parts black, 
transversely barred with reddish yellow. Tail black, tipped with white, the two centre feathers marked like the back. Wings, abdomen, 
thighs, and legs pure white. Hnder tail coverts brown, barred with black. Nails long, brown, and flat beneath. 
The female, in summer, is rusty yellow in color, thickly barred and blotched with dark brown and black. This yellow hue extends 
throughout the lower parts, sometimes white feathers appearing about the abdomen ; the flanks are barred with blackish brown. Wings, 
legs, and feet pure white. Tail black, tipped with white; upper coverts mottled like the back; lower coverts yellowish, barred with 
dark brown. Bill black. Nails similar to those of the male. 
