I J ; LAGOPUS M in u s .
others witli many blue autumn featlicrs. Up to July 9tli I observed tliat all tlie old males wliicli 1 killed were dark browiiisli-blaek on tlio back,
speckled witli lighter brown, c.«pceially on tlic liead, lircast, nml sides; belly, pure wliitc, bnt tlic dark lirea.«t is mtieli iiioie eonspieaous in aomo
than in others. By July 20tli the wliole body-color liad become ligiiter, and by tlic end of July wa.s cvidoiitly oliangiiig'to liliic-giaiv, but still
speckled witli brown, especially on tlic lioad, By tlie Otii of .lugiist tlic majority of tlic males liad assumed a totally different d rc.-siie ad still
speckled witli yellowish-browii; back, bluisli-gray, wateioii witli blaek and wliitc; l.elly, pure wliito; and tliis was tiio plumage of tlic niiilcs on
August ISth, wIicii I killed my last. Tliis bluc-watered di-e.ss ap|>ears by degrees to become fainter, in fart mere grny-bliic, until tlic end of
September; but tlio wbitc winter fcatliers kee)> gradually sliowiiig tiiemselvcs mulor tlie bine aatniuiuil drcs,«. I observed in two siierimeii.s siiot
early in October tlie year before, tliat one was imif bine ami half wliite, i. e., tlmt iuilf the body appeared to be covered witli tlie blue aut.uiiii
dress, tlie otiier lialf with tlie wliitc winter pliiiimge, some of wliieli, if uot all. were perfectly new featlioi-s, for I ol.served l.lood-.sliafts to mauy
of tliem; iu tlio otiier specimen, very few- of tlie blue autumn featiiers reiimiiicd. From w-liat I eoiiId liear, for I di<l not stop ii]i long ciiongii
to judge for myself, I sliould say tiiat in many, iicrliaiis most, tlic ¡mre wliite winter dress is complete by llic tliird iveok iu Octolicr.
“ Mucli as tlic males vary iu plumage, tlic females appear to vary stilt more, and only to liave a standing dress for nlioiit tliroo weeks in .iuiic,
just w-licii tlicy arc laying, nml this early siiiumcr dre.ss may be described tluis: body, blackisli-bvowii, every feather l.roadly edged witli yellow, brown,
and wbitc, giving the bird a very liglit yellow-brown appearance; breast, mueh lighter; belly, » aw pure white, asin the nmle, hut.'as well ns tho
sides and brc.ist, covered witli black zig-zag lines ou a rusty yellow- and wliitc grouml, tlio wliite color most apiiareut on tlio bellv. Bv tiio
second week iu June this dress was complete iu most, althougli tlic bii-ds vary mucli in .«liading, scareeiy two being e.xactly alike, wlieii it all at
once became mucli darker. In fact, wc may dc-scril.e tlic suiiiiuer dress of tlie female Ptnviiiigau tlius: tlirouglioiit tlic wiiolo of May tlie gromu!
plumage was wliitc, hero and tliei-c speckled witli mottled rusty yellow and l.lack featliei-s. wliicli, ns in tlic males, nin'oar fii-st on tlie iiead uud
iicck, tlicii on tlic back. By the third week iu May tlie body is tliickly speckled witli tliese mottled fcatiiei-s (some iiiterniiiigled witli tlio w liite,
othei-s shooting out from tlic skin umlcr tlicm), so we aic not a t all siii-priscil tliat early iu June a sudden cliuuge takes place, and all a t oiico tlic
l.ird assumes its early or lii-st summer dies-, as above dcscril.cd, .Vl.oiit tl.e end of July we see some small blue featiiers sbootiiig out among
the riLsty brown ones, aud tliis ajipcai-s to be a true moult, and not a clmiigc in eolor of tlie foatlici-s. Tlic bird now assumes a benutifui ilress,
far more handsome tlian tlie male—browii-reii, vniiegated with blue-gray, wliicii often ou tliu back appeai-s in patohcx. But tlie fciiialcs vary
so much ill color tliat a nuiiiite description of one would uot aj.iily to aiiotlier. I fancy tliat l.olli i.mlc aud female retain this l.luc dress longer
than any otlicr. It gradually l.ccomes liglitcr as tlio season advance.s, till iit leugtli the old fenmie is quite l.luc (but still ulways witli some rusty
mottled yellow feathers a t the sides), aud about tlic luiddlc of October tlic blue dross gives plaee to the pure wiiitc plumngc of winter.
-- Tlie pliiiiiage of tlic you.ig iu tlic downy state is rusty yellow, witli longitudinal markings and minute spots of black; tiic first dress after
tliat is black, uiottlod witli rusty yellow ami wluto above; umlci-.icatli, pale rusty browu with blackisli wavy lines; wings, grayisli-brown. IJarly
i.i August tlic body plumage becomes grayish-blue, finely .streaked with black, nml the pinions white i.isteud of brown. This gray plumage
gradually becomes liglitcr, as iu tl.e oid birds, till, like them, they assume their winter livery, and by tiie first of Nove.nbor tl.c.e is uo pereeptible
difference between old and young birds.
“ It appear.«, then, that the Swcdisli Ptiirniiguu has tlirce distinct dres.«cs in the course of the year, and sc
they a|.pcar to have a different drcs.s for every siimmcr moiitli.
“ The Ptarmigan ...ay truly be saiil to be a cliild of snow, for you never meet witl. tl.em off the real fells, altliough I Imve occasionally flnslied
tliem from tlic fell-sidcs, just whcio tlic willow i.nslie.s eml. Tlieir real liomc is tlie liiglicr fell-tract, and in tlic middle of summer ou tlicir vcrv
higlie.st suow-clad smnmits. In tlie si.ring tliey come dow n to tlic lower fells to breed, but you never find them there in tlic end of summer
Tiic pairing season iicre ni.pearcd to begin early in Muy, and lasted a fortuiglit or tlirec weeks, and during tliis time tlie hoarse langliing lovc-
eall of tlic old male might be lieard at very earliest dawn on any of tlie fell-toi>s. Tliis is soon answered by tlie finer ‘ i-i—a ck ; i - I - a c k ,' of
the female, ami tlie lovc-cliasc commences. Tl.is is tlic time wl.e.i iiia.iy are sliot off, for tl.oy are now too engrossed witl. each otiior to heed
ihc xliooter, wlio lies beliiml a stone on tlic pairing gromid, and picks tliem off as lie iilcascs.
Botli tlie Ptarmigan and tlie Willow Grouse arc strictly monogamous, Some naturalists appear to have an idea th a t botli, wlieti pairing
liavc a kind of -Ick,' or play, like tl.e ca).ercailzie aud biaek cock, botii of wliicl. l.inls are polygamous. I can only say I never saw nuytl.iug of
tlie kind, Tlic Ptarmigan certiiinly imve tlieir favorite pairing g. omids on tiic fells, and here tlie birds assemble at liayliglit in tlic early spring, iu
small Hocks, l.ut widely scattered all over tl.e place. The old males utter their peculiar love-call, whicl, is answered by tlic female, ami tlicy thiiw
togctUcr; l.nt altUoiigli tlicre are several males in tl.e neigliborliood, eacl. one seems to liavc liis ¡.articular staml and his o
and if by chanoc anotlior male inti iidc.s on Ids ground, lie ili ivcs it off,
Early in Jui.c tlic female commciiees to lay. forming an artlc.s« next on tl.e l.arc stones iu tl.e l.eather, or mider a small busli; alivay.s, as
far as I co.ilil sec, al.ovc ti.e very top c.ige of tl.o willow vegio.i, imt never ou tl.e s.iow-fells. As long as tl.e female co.itiimes to sit, tlie old lunle
watches ill the vieinity of tl.e uest, like tl.e Willow firousc; but as soon as the young are l.afche.i off he leaves tl.em to tlic care of (lie moti.er
and joiiiing a lot more ‘l.aclielor friends,' tl.cy seek tlie tops of the l.igi.est fells (leaving tl.o female and young brood lower down iu tlie fell
valleys). Early in August the young will he strong ftyci-s; the old female then takes tlioni higher upou the fells; they arc joined again by the
old male, aud tl.e whole lamily keep together till tl.e autumu suow falls, wl.cu several familie.s pack, ami large flocks arc met with iu tiic lower
fell-ti acU during the whole winter.
-• In tlie summer tlic food of the Ptarn.igau seems to consist entirely of leaves, flowci-s, and fruit of tlie fell-.xlii ub.s. Tlic y
iiisecU, and iu tl.e winter tlic froze., fruit of tl.e crowl.crry ami cranberry .ifford them ample supply of food, aud there a
even ou the highest fella, fi-om wliicli the wind lias blown tlic suow,"
ic nutlioi-s have slated tl.at tliey have met witli tliis s|ipcics iu Arctic America, i
iny ¡ntcrincdiate changes tlmt
n favorite female.
ang live niiicli
-c always bare plac
, iiid that the spccimciis thev obt.iiiiod differed in no way
from tho I 'l,„m i... of fo.th.ml, I . tho con,ctioo, „ . t to th . Smith.oob. Im.tit.tloo, ohMim.l I . tho „oithc,,. ,.o,Bo,. of th , .(„„ ¡cm .
continent, I Imve never seen
Lagopns Kupcstiis; con«cquc
but is reprc.«cntcd by tlio Rock Orou.sc.
any si.ccimciis of tlic I.iigoimx Mutus. the only specie.« of Ptarmigan represented being tl.e Lagopus Albus, and
a strongly inclined to tbe belief tlmt the common Ptarniigan of Europe is not found in. the-New YVorld,
I have found it iieces.«ary to give two ¡ilutes of this .species, in order to show the change of plumage tlie bird undergoes. Tlie first rc¡ircsents
adults nud young in xunimer; tl.o male in the back-ground already lieginning to assume the fail style of coloring. I liavc ol.served tlii.s chan"-c
to occur iu individuals quite early in tbe summer. The other plate represents tl.e birds in tbeir wiutcr dross. .\11 the Cgmex arc of the natural