. The birds of Washington : a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state . Taken in Rainier .\-i// THE CLOUD CAP. MT. RAINIER FROM EAST PARADISE IV. L. Dazcson. Ptarmigans are usually unsuspicious and contiding to a degree unprece-dented in the case of anv other American liirtl. This is partly owing to thesecluded character of their haunts, so that thev ha\e not learned the fear ofmen: and partly to the instincti\e reliance which they place in their protectivecoloration. A sitting hen will not leave her nest until she is all but trampledon,
. The birds of Washington : a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state . Taken in Rainier .\-i// THE CLOUD CAP. MT. RAINIER FROM EAST PARADISE IV. L. Dazcson. Ptarmigans are usually unsuspicious and contiding to a degree unprece-dented in the case of anv other American liirtl. This is partly owing to thesecluded character of their haunts, so that thev ha\e not learned the fear ofmen: and partly to the instincti\e reliance which they place in their protectivecoloration. A sitting hen will not leave her nest until she is all but trampledon, and once distiubed, she will e\en allow herself to be lifted from the groundwithout resistance. The cock is usuall\- more wary. Once, while encamped in THE WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN. 593. tlie Cascade Pass, I was lazily over a sharp ridge, half co\ered withsnow, when I heard a subdued croaking, or crooning, like a Clark Nutcrackernote done small. Glancing ahead I saw a cock Ptarmigan standing Ijreast-deep in heather and regarding me with a watchful eye. As I approached heran out upon thesn(3w-bank, cacklingapprehensively, buthe circled about soas to return to theedge of the timberedisland which he hadjust quitted. Herea moment later I putup the female. Shestepped out from theheather upijn thesnow with a dis-turbed cluck, butproved to be muchmore approachablethan the male. I fol-lowed her about pa-tiently as she skirtedthe edge of the islandnow returning to the heather if 1 retreated. In this wav I secured three goodphotographs at feet. The cock submitted to one snap at twenty-five feet, but he was too nervous to■ stand long under fire; and heretreated across the snow bylittle runs until he hadreached a heatlier patch adozen rods further he ling
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