36 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



I have examined hundreds of Wheatears (both races), and 

 have only found one Greenland Wheatear (6th May) in 

 moult, odd feathers on the chin, and one or two Common 

 Wheatears with the innermost tertials in quill ; the spring 

 moult, which takes place in February and involves the body 

 feathers and sometimes odd tertials and great coverts (see 

 British Birds Mag., vol. iii., p. 391-2), is therefore usually 

 finished prior to arrival here, at which time the body feathers 

 are slightly worn. Of mginy Redstarts examined only three 

 show any moult — two adults on i6th September have still a 

 few body feathers in quill and one young bird on i8th 

 September has a few quills on the chin. No Whinchats, 

 Robins, Bluethroats or Black Redstarts exhibited any moult, 

 nor did Nightingales which in May are moderately worn 

 everywhere. 



I have but three Swallows obtained on migration (two 

 spring and one autumn) ; they exhibit no moult. Swallows 

 leave us in autumn usually before moulting, as do House 

 Martins, i.e., in juvenile and in worn breeding dress, and 

 both old and young do a complete moult in their winter 

 quarters from November to February. Spring Sand and 

 House Martins which I have are in beautiful fresh feather 

 and had evidently moulted before arrival, but one House 

 Martin (24th April) has a few feathers still in quill on 

 chin ; the only other exhibiting moult was an adult Sand 

 Martin which on 29th August had begun a full body moult, 

 but not wings nor tail. My spring Red-Back Shrikes are 

 in fairly fresh feather but show no moult ; one in September 

 had still some juvenile feathers left; this is another species 

 which moults in its winter quarters, whence I have seen a 

 specimen (26th December) which had just begun a complete 

 moult, and others (9th April) which were just completing a 

 full moult. 



Swifts leave us in full juvenile plumage and in old 

 breeding dress, one adult (i8th August) is just commencing 

 to moult a few body feathers; so that this species must do a 

 complete moult in more southern climes. Such Cuckoos as 

 I have seen on migration show no moult ; they leave us in 

 juvenile and in old breeding dress and do a complete moult, 



