32 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



worn, especially on the wings and tail, one adult on i6th 

 December is also in very worn plumage, one (bird of the year) 

 on i/th December has the old plumage very worn, but the 

 moult of the body, wings and tail has just commenced. I have 

 examined a good man}' specimens in February from very 

 different parts of Africa — all are in full nionlt, the wings and 

 tail nearly through, some show feathers of the head and neck 

 still unmoulted and very abraded ; two examples in March 

 {Ph. t. eversmanni) show a stage further, entire moult nearly 

 complete, but still odd feathers have not been cast. From 

 this it seems that Willow Wrens do a complete moult in 

 December to February, but that individuals may retain 

 some old feathers. Wood Wrens I have not seen from the 

 winter quarters, but from the extreme freshness of the 

 plumage of April birds it cannot be doubted that they also do 

 a complete winter-spring moult. The Siberian Chiffchaff 

 would appear also to have a spring moult. I have examined 

 birds at the end of March which are in full body moult, with 

 the central pair or two pairs of tail feathers and inner tertials 

 fresh, the wings and rest of tail being moderately worn. Of 

 many autumn Phylloscopi examined only two Willow Wrens 

 show odd body feathers in quill ; all are in fresh moulted 

 plumage. 



Some Sedge Warblers at any rate moult hi spring, others 

 apparently do not; nineteen specimens, 29th April to i6th 

 May, one (2nd May) is in quite fresh bod)- feather, chin in 

 quill, two others (same date) are very worn, but one has some 

 chin feathers in quill, in all three the wings and tail are but 

 slightly worn ; again one on 29th April is in fairly fresh 

 feather, and another (5th May) is extremely abraded all over ; 

 all the other specimens are fairly worn. 



Of nine autumn specimens only one shows moult, an 

 adult (nth August) has the body and half the tail in full 

 moult, but the wings are old. Reed Warblers (14th April to 

 2nd June) are only slightly worn everywhere, but two 

 autumn birds (30th September and 27th October) have 

 a few body feathers still in quill. Grasshopper Warblers 

 on arrival here are in fresh plumage all over. Some 

 specimens of Blyth's Reed Warbler certainl)' moult in 



