The female sits very close, and rather than leave will sometimes suffer herself to be taken by the hand. In one instance when a nest was approached, the female crouched as much as possible, in the hope that she might not be noticed, which would have happened had not one of the party observed her eye. Her summer plumage was almost exactly of the same color with the soil, and hardly distinguishable from it. The man was within three feet, and, making a swoop, caught her on the nest.
Excepting in 1862, Mr. MacFarlane did not meet with any of this species west of the Swan River, on his various journeys to Franklin Bay. Every season, almost immediately on leaving the woods fringing Swan River, birds began to be seen as far as and all along the Arctic coast. Although constantly found feeding in large numbers on the Barrens, it was always difficult to find their nests. They were most numerous between Horton River and Franklin Bay, and were frequently seen standing singly, or feeding on the ground, or an occasional pair might be seen, but it was seldom any number were observed in company.
Mr. Dall states that this species was not uncommon in the Romanzoff Mountains, northwest of Fort Yukon, but did not know of its being found farther south or west. It was obtained by S. Weston at Fort Yukon, and among the mountains by Mr. McDougal.
The eggs of this species closely resemble those of L. albus, but are somewhat smaller in size. They measure 1.63 inches in length by 1.18 in breadth, varying slightly in size. Their ground is a deep reddish cream-color, nearly covered by large blotches of a reddish-chestnut, giving a beautifully variegated effect to the whole.
Lagopus leucurus, Swainson & Richardson.
WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN.
Tetrao (Lagopus) leucurus, Sw. & Rich. F. B. A. II, 1831, 356, pl. lxiii.—Nutt. Man. Orn. II, 1834, 612.—Ib. I, (2d ed.,) 1840, 820.—Dougl. Tr. Linn. Soc. XVI, 146. Tetrao leucurus, Aud. Orn. Biog. V, 1839, 200, pl. ccccxviii. Lagopus leucurus, Aud. Syn. 1839.—Ib. B. Am. V, 1842, 125, pl. cccii.—Gray, Gen. III.—Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 637.—Bon. Comp. List. 441, No. 291.—Elliot, P. A. N. S. 1864.—Ib. Monog. Tetraon. pl.—Gray, Cat. Brit. Mus. V, 1867, 93.—Cooper, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 542.
Sp. Char. Male? winter (4,578, Fort Halkett, Liard’s River). Entirely pure white, including the tail. Wing, 6.70; tarsus, 1.00; middle toe, 1.00; bill, .35 by .29.
Summer. Wings, tail, abdomen, crissum, and legs immaculate snowy-white. Ground-color of rest of plumage grayish-white on head and neck and ashy-buff on other portions, finely and rather sparsely sprinkled with black,—more in form of ragged transverse bars anteriorly and on sides. (♀, 16,002, Camp Skagitt, N. W. B., August 16; C. B. Kennerly.)
Hab. Alpine summits of the Western mountains, from lat. 39° in the Rocky Mountains north into British America, and west to the Cascades of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.
Habits. This species was first procured by Mr. Drummond, and described by Swainson in the “Fauna Borealis.” Five specimens were taken on the Rocky Mountains in the 54th parallel, and another, by Mr. MacPherson, on the same chain, nine degrees farther north. They were said to have all the habits of the other Ptarmigans, and to inhabit the snowy peaks near the mouth of the Columbia, as well as the lofty ridges of the Rocky Mountains.