Nov., 1915 NESTING OF THE WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN 217
came together for a conference; and while discussing the matter Olson broke out laughing and pointed down to the ground, where, within six feet of me and not ten feet distant from any one of us, was the bird resting down flat in the grass. I supposed she was simply crouching and hiding, as I had seen them do before, there being nothing to suggest a nest. Telling the boys to stand still where they were, I approached her cautiously from behind and inserted my hand beneath her, at which she ruffled, scolded, turned her head and pecked my hand several times. Raising her sufficiently from the nest to look beneath I discovered two eggs lying there in water. I then let her gently back on to the nest, she still clucking and pecking at me, my hand being wet from contact with her.
It being wet, sloppy ground all about, water in the nest, and melting snow within fifteen or twenty feet, the conditions surprised me, and I remarked to the boys that, barring the altitude, it was more suitable ground for the nest of a grebe or. Black Tern than for a ptarmigan. I then had Durand prepare his cam- era and photograph her on the nest (see fig. 73). I then lifted her, on my hand, out of the nest and placec? her down within a foot of it, she still scolding and pecking my hand, and he again photographed her and nest (see fig. 74, showing the eggs lying in about a half-inch of snow water). /Ie then photographed the cock (see fig. 72), which was and had been during all this time not over twenty feet distant from us and the hen and nest. We then left the birds, and repaired to camp some one and a half miles distant, hunting over the bare ground en route, with no other results than a couple of pipit nests.
The next morning, June 22, we were off at seven o'clock, with lunches, glasses, etc., taking no camera, as Durand had previous to my arrival secured a good series of ptarmigan photos, covering the same ground as on the previous day, with much additional territory, but, though we located some six or eight pairs of ptarmigan and two single cocks, we failed to discover another nest.
On our return trip, we visited the site of yesterday's find and, though the ptarmigan were not in sight, I told the boys to watch for the leucosticte while I inspected the ptarmigan nest, which I had yesterday marked carefully with a small pile of stones on a flat rock, with a tag marked "15 feet due west." Not withstanding this, a five minutes search did not reveal the nest, at which I called the boys down. They came, laughing, to where I was and stood looking in amazement for a moment, when Olson said "Why, it was right beside that stone your foot is on!" A closer search with the aid of the fingers revealed the nest, lightly covered with dead grass that obscured the eggs, and looking exactly similar to, and indistinguishable from, a dozen other barren spots the size of one's hand, or larger, over which the wind had blown a light fluffy deposit of dead grass. An examination disclosed the two eggs, only, still lying about half submerged in snow water. Leaving the cover as nearly as possible as found, we departed for camp.
On the way to camp, I decided on the following plan, which I unfolded to the boys after supper and instructed them to carry out the next morning. Each was to roll up some of his bedding and canvas for sleeping purposes and take sufficient food for four meals, together with such other appliances necessary (omitting cameras and other heavy stuff) to prepare him for stopping over night; leave the glacier about two-thirds the way up, for the first promising ground, then scatter out and, as soon as a bird or pair of birds were found, Durand, who was in charge, should leave Olson with the bird or birds and have him not lose sight of them under any circumstances until it was too dark for him to see;.then he should camp right there with the bird or birds until morning
