|Family XXXII. TETRAONINAE. GROUSE. GENUS II. LAGOPUS.
PTARMIGAN. |Genus||LAGOPUS LEUCURUS, Swains. This pretty little
Grouse is an inhabitant of the Rocky Mountains, where it was
found by Mr. DOUGLAS and afterwards by Mr. DRUMMOND, who sent
several specimens to England. It is said to extend as far as the
Columbia river, but has not been observed in that region by
either Mr. NUTTALL or Mr. TOWNSEND. All that is known of its
habits is, that they resemble those of the Ptarmigan. Mr.
DRUMMOND states, that this bird never has the black stripe from
the bill to the eye, so conspicuous in the males of the other
species. My figure was drawn from the only specimen now in the
Museum of the Zoological Society of London. TETRAO (LAGOPUS)
LEUCURUS, Swains. WHITE-TAILED GROUSE, Richards. and Swains.
Fauna Bor. Amer., vol. ii. p. 356. WHITE-TAILED GROUSE, Nutt.
Man., vol. ii. p. 612. WHITE-TAILED GROUSE, Tetrao leucurus,
Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. v. p. 200. Adult, in winter. Bill short,
robust; upper mandible with the dorsal ou