108 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1896. 



THE MOLTING OF BIEDS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE 

 PLUMAGES OF THE SMALLER LAND BIRDS OF EASTERN 

 NORTH AMERICA. 



BY WITHER STONE. 



The lack of definite information regarding the seasonal plumages 

 of our birds which characterizes most of the works on North Amer- 

 ican ornithology, as well as the scarcity of recorded facts relative to 

 the methods by Avhich the plumages are assumed, must have im- 

 pressed all who have had occasion to seek for information upon 

 these subjects. This is unquestionably due, in a great measure, to 

 the scarcity, in collections, of molting specimens and adults in fall 

 or winter plumage. Molting specimens are only to be obtained dur- 

 ing July and August in this latitude, and collecting at this season 

 is not only difficult on account of the retiring habits of the birds 

 during the period of molt, but also exceedingly unpleasant, being 

 the height of our hot season. Furthermore, professional collectors 

 have not been encouraged to collect molting birds since the most 

 marketable specimens are full-plumaged spring birds. To this 

 cause, too, is probably due the great scarcity of North American 

 birds from the tropics, showing the progress and nature of the early 

 spring molt, since collectors visiting these regions have paid more 

 attention to securing fine specimens of the native species. 



In view of the state of our knowledge of molts and seasonal plum- 

 ages and the scattered nature of the literature bearing upon the 

 subject, I have prepared the following pages, more with the hope 

 of attracting attention to this branch of ornithological investigation, 

 than of assuming to present a finished treatise. 



For some years past I have been paying special attention to the 

 acquisition of a series of molting specimens of our eastern North 

 America birds and my own collection, together with that of the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, furnishes a consider- 

 able amount of such material. I have also examined a large 

 number of specimens in the United States National Museum, and 

 additional series have been kindly loaned by Mr. Robert Ridgway 

 of the above institution, Mr. Wm. Brewster, of Cambridge, Mass., 

 and Dr. J. A. Allen of the American Museum of Natural Hisfory. 



In spite of this, however, I have frequently been confronted with 

 questions which can only be settled by the acquisition of additional 



