of fourteen black feathers, with the white tips worn off, and of two central incumbent
feathers, which, with the adjoining coverts, are barred like the back. Tarsal feathers very
short; the toes.naked beneath, and .partially so above— No summer specimens of the
male were brought home; but that sex differs in having the black eye stripe, and in the
middle of the belly being white.
Dimensions
Of the summer female.
Inch. Lin. | Inch. Lin. Inch.' Jam
14 0 Length of bin to rictus . 1 0 Length of middle nail . 0 8’
• 4 0 » of tarsus . . 1 „ of hind toe. . 0 If
7 0 „ of middle toe . , 0 7 1 0 „ of its nail . . 0 4 —R.
Length, total.
„ of tail .
,, of wing
of bill above
[129,] 8. T e t r a o ( L a g o p u s ) l e u c u r u s . (Swains.): White-tailed Grouse.
Ge n u s , Tetrao, L in n .. Sw a in s. Sub-genus (2), Lagopus, R ay.
Ch . Sp . T e t r a o . (Lagopus) l e u c u r u s hyeme albus : (estate variegatus, rectricibus semper albis.
Sp . Ch . W h it e -t a il e d Gr o u se , in winter entirely white ; in summer coloured : the tail white.
P late l x iii.
Of this undescribed species I have only five specimens, four procured by Mr.
Drummond on the Rocky Mountains, in the fifty-fourth parallel, and one by
Mr. Macpherson on the same chain, nine degrees of latitude farther north. Mr.
Douglas killed several in 1827, but, through the want of means of carriage, was
obliged to leave them behind. It is said to have the habits of the Ptarmigan,
and to inhabit the snowy peaks near the mouth of the Columbia as well as the
lofty ridges of the Rocky Mountains. Its summer dress is intermediate in colour
between that of T. lagopus and rupestris; but it differs from both these species
in its smaller size and in its tail being totally white at all seasons. The sexes
of my specimens were not noted; but none of them have the black eye stripe ;
nanotd eMxirs.t Dinu meitmhoenr ds,e xw.ho killed great numbers, is confident that that mark does
JjJLG OTtrS L E U C U B -L T § .
tSwnaner jptunuM /tr.
j & John Murray. Books Mae to tho M m urala),Jan’J