486 
Mr. H. F. Witherby on Birds 
cristata from Kandalax (Mela) as well as from near Kola 
(Pleske); Mergus merganser (Lawrow and Mela) and Mergus 
albellus (Lawrow) from Kandalax.] 
Lagopus albus. 
The Willow-Grouse was fairly common all along our 
route. Two male birds shot near Kola on July 27th had a 
number of white feathers on the underparts, and a few on 
the back and wing-coverts. At this time of year one would 
expect the Willow-Grouse to be attaining its winter plumage ; 
but on examination the very opposite was found to be the 
case with these two birds, which had not yet attained their 
summer plumage. All the white feathers were clearly 
old feathers of the winter before. In the far north I believe 
Willow-Grouse often retain part of their winter plumage 
during the whole summer, but these two birds were in full 
moult, and the new feathers, which were sprouting all over the 
body, were all summer feathers. The toes were not altogether 
bare of feathers and the claws were exceedingly long. No 
doubt the lateness of the season accounted for the strange 
state of the plumage of these birds, but how long would they 
retain their summer plumage ? A week after we shot these 
birds new snow had fallen on the hills and the autumn had 
commenced. On July 29th, at Kola, we found four broods 
of but a few days old. 
[Pleske records Lagopus mutus from the mountains near 
the Imandra (Sahlberg and Malmberg) and Middendorff 
from the neighbouring districts.] 
Bonasa betulina. 
The only specimen of the Hazel-Grouse we saw was shot 
near Bella Guba on the Imandra. Pleske considered its 
occurrence so far north as the Imandra as uncertain. 
Tetrao urogallus. 
Capercaillie were common from Kandalax to Pulozero, 
north of which we did not observe them. We found chicks 
of a day or two old on July 24th. 
[Pleske records Tetrao tetrix from Kandalax and the 
Imandra, and gives the Imandra as the northern limit of 
