Q -
LAGOPUS liUPESTIilS.
TETUA.. K lT IXm iS . <,mcl„ Syxt. Na... v.,1. i„ 1T8K. p. 701.-La.h„ I.uL Oraith,, vol. iL. 1700, p.C40-Sa!>
K.c-h.,Ai.).Pn.Pam-.2<lVuy.,p, 348.—AiuL.Oniitli. Biog., vol. iv., 38.38 n 483 „I
p. 3.54, ).). XIV, ' ‘ ■
TETRAO LACOPrS, Temm., Oreenl. Bird-, No. 4, p. 408,
dVrTAGEN KfPE8TRI8. Beich.. Av. Syst. Nat,, I8Ô1, p). xxiv,
ROCK GROrSE. Pcim., Arct, Zool., voi. ¡., p, .304, anil vol. ii., p. 312.
I..1Ü01TS nUPESTlil.». I.,ad i, Z » l. Sli-c., vol. 11., p. p. 2o , , _ h .
fElR.YO ISI.ANDICL'S. Brchm., Eur. vog., vol. il., p. 448.
LAGOPUS REINirARDTJI. Brehm,
LAGOPUS GRAENLANDR’US. Brehm. Vogelfang, p. 204, note.
I V, 1st Voy., pi, rscv.—
308,—Swain, Fann. Bor. ,\mer,, vol. ¡¡., 1831,
Tins species apjiears to lie tbiinil only in leelanil, Greenland, .ind the nortliei
invo.stigatious sliow, au iuliahitant of the Old YVorld.
portions of tlio American continent, aiul
n Ptarinigan; l.ut I have never seen, in any of the spccim
L.igopi Mutus, tlmt I have liai! tlie ojipor-
:s syiiouyiiis,
It is closely allied to tlio c
tuiiity of exaiui.ii.ig, tl.e poouliar markings and coloration wliich eharactcrize the present bird.
Spvvln.,,.. of.11.0 I t a t P t „ , „ l . „ | „ * ^tooclov. of .ho s,„lib.oolo„ I,„,l„„l„„ „„ „ ¡ ,
, , f c lv„„, ofovo ,,.o 0 ,oo„l.„,l ood looltodi whllo f,.,„ „ , , 1, , . v „ . o„d dllf.,00,1, ,l,opod 1,111,. ,„,d U,o ,.o ll„ „W .:h ,o „ l.„0
of thoir pltonofo. tho,- .11 tvouhl ,oom lo bo oi.litlod to . .pooHo dl.tinotioii ftom th . I ...„ p „ , Mott».
I h . ,0 thorofovo eo,»i,.0, 0,1 tho L .s o p » W.udlo... L.t-op,» lioi.l.nvdtii. L .g .p u , G „ .„ l..d lo o ., .u d L .g o ,» . .Imorlo.,,,,, lo
as tlio term Rupestris tnke« precedence of them all.
The Lagopus A.nericauus of Audubon may, with some degree of certainty, be considered as tl.e present species; for although he gives uo
distinctive oharactcre to separate it from either tho Lugopu.s Albus or Lagopu.« Mutus: yet as he states its total length to ho only fourteen
inches, ami says th a t his s,,eei.,ien was b.-ought from North America, it may roa.sonably be supimsed to be tho Lagopus Rupestris in cl.ai.fTc
Tl.e Rock Pturniig:.., undergo similar changes in their ¡ilu.uage, as is eustomar,- with tl.e common Ptarmiga.i, Iu winter, with ti.e
exception ot tlie tail, winch is always black, the entire plumage is white, the males beiug distiuguishablo from tlie other sex by a black
mark through the eye. Ilcar.ie say.s of this species th a t -th ey ..ever frequent the woods or willows, but brave the severest colds
ou the open plains. They alway.s feed on the buds aud tops of the dwarf birch, and after this repast ge.ierally sit on tlio i.iglL ridre-
of snow, witii tl.e.r I,cads to w indwanl. They arc never caugl.t iu nets liko the Willow Partridge, ami being so uuioh inferior iu size, thoir
flesh IS liy uo means so good, being blnck, l.aril, and bitter. They are in geucrni like tbe Wood Partridge, citlier exceeding wild or very tame
nml when ... tl.e latter l.u.uor I l.ave kuou u one ...an kiil one bumired aud twenty iu a few houre; for as they usually keep iu large lloeks, the
s|>ortsmau can frcqiieiitiy kill six or eight at a sliot.
“ Like tlie YVill..«- Purtridgo, tliese i.irds cliaiigc tlieir plumage in summer to a beautiful speckled l.rown : and a t tliat season nro so hardy that
unies.« shot in tlio liend or l itals, tlioy will fly away w ith tlie greatest quantity of shot of any bird I know. Tlicy discover great foiiducss for
thoi br during tlie time of iiiciil.atiou tlicy will frequently suffer tiiemselvcs to be taken by liaud oil’ tlicir eggs,”
Tlic iiliite reprcscuts two male« and a foiiiale of tlie imtural size.
ii'!
I w m c i f c .