1896.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 133 



A molting specimen from Sitka, Alaska, June 15, 1895, shows that 

 the central tail feathers are the first to be renewed, and are well 

 grown before any of the others are dropped, 



Corvus ossifragus (AVils.). Fish Crow. 

 Corvus americanus (Aud.) . American Crow. 



Three plumages, first, winter, nuptial. 



The Crow has no spring molt so far as I can ascertain ; the annual 

 molt is quite early, occurring in June or July, while the young birds 

 molt the first body plumage about the end of the latter month. As 

 in most black birds abrasion is but little marked. Many specimens, 

 however, are dingy and have the tips of the wings bleached to a 

 brown tint. The Fish Crow apparently molts exactly the same. 



Family ICTERIDJE. 



The Icteridse may be arranged in three groups as regards their 

 molt. 



Doliclionyx has two complete molts each year standing alone 

 among our smaller land birds in this respect. The young probably 

 has no molt of flight feathers at the close of its first summer. The 

 two species of Icterus have a more or less complete spring molt of 

 the body feathers the first year at least, and the young do not molt 

 the flight feathers in August. The rest of our species have no 

 spring molt whatever, but the young have a complete molt at the 

 end of the first summer, including both wing and tail. This occurs 

 in only three other instances among our Passeres — i. e., in Cardi- 

 nalis, Tachycineta and Otocoris. 



Doliclionyx oryzivorus (Linn.). Bobolink. 



Male. — Plumages, first, winter, early spring, nuptial. 



The molting of this species has been so carefully treated by Mr. 

 F. M. Chapman who was the first to describe the early spring plum- 

 age and the manner in which it is acquired, that it is hardly neces- 

 sary to go into details in this connection. When the young bird 

 has acquired the bufl' winter plumage it is practically undistinguish- 

 able from the winter adult. 



Early in spring (March 1st,) this plumage is entirely molted 

 even to the wings and tail and a new black plumage is assumed, 

 all the feathers of which are so broadly edged with brownish buff* 

 that the general plumage appears to be of this shade. By the 

 breeding season the aspect of the plumage is again changed, this 

 time entirely by abrasion, and the bird appears in its black and 

 white dress. 



