Wherever ptarmigan were found, there was evidence that they were resident in the area throughout the year. At Topagaruk, informants said the ptarmigan were not so numerous in the summer (1949-1950) as in the winter. The apparent relative abundance of these birds in these two seasons could conceivably result from the birds being less conspicuous and more seclusive in the summer because of nesting activities. In summer these birds are protectively colored; at times a female only a few feet away is hardly distinguishable from the tundra. We observed only two adults and three juveniles in the area (July 5-10, 1952) although we saw considerable sign associated with the winter season. Sand dunes derived from material along the edge of the river formed a conspicuous feature of the landscape. These dunes, 20 to 30 feet high, were deeply cut by winds from the west-northwest. Ptarmigan tracks and sign were on all sides of the dunes, but the lee side was more commonly used than any other because of the protection from winds and the presence there of large willows and other plants. At Barrier Lake (July 29-Aug. 4, 1952) we noted numerous droppings of ptarmigan on the uplands between Barrier Lake and Teshekpuk Lake but we did not see any birds there. The sign could have been deposited either in the winter or in a previous season. There are perhaps local migrations of ptarmigan. Harmon Helmericks, for instance, told us that in either April or May of 1946 he saw a ptarmigan on the ice of the Arctic Ocean 10 miles north of Pingok Island. At Gavia Lake (August 22) we observed a local shift of a group of ptarmigan. One day there were 19 birds in an area; the following day only seven birds were counted. On the third day the full complement of 19 birds were again in the area. Ptarmigan are generally distributed on the Arctic Slope. On an airflight (July 3, 1952) from the mouth of the Canning River Canyon to Umiat the number of ptarmigan increased as we approached the drainage system of the Colville River. On this date, when these birds are nesting, the willows were just starting to grow new leaves and other vegetation of the tundra still was undeveloped. On August 16, along this same route, when young ptarmigan were nearly as large as adults, willows and alders were in full leaf and dominated the vegetation along water courses; the tundra was mature in appearance with considerably more green and yellow color in the landscape. The water in rivers and especially ponds was clear but brownish. In the river valley at Umiat (June 28, 1952) a nest of seven eggs (1/2 incubated) was on an elevated mound supporting dwarf willow and birch averaging 1-1/2 feet high. The nest was merely a concavity in sphagnum moss depressed by the weight of the bird. The female refused to leave the nest until bodily removed.