30 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



Of Tree Pipits I have seven spring birds in April and May; 

 these are all slightly to moderately worn all over, none in 

 moult ; this species moults, in February and March, the body 

 feathers, often including the tertials, some of the wing coverts, 

 and the central tail feathers. Of autumn birds, three are 

 adults with the first two primaries still in quill and are still 

 moulting in the chin, the rest are in first winter plumage and 

 show no moult. Meadow Pipits moult at the same time as 

 does the Tree Pipit, but I am not sure that every individual 

 completes the moult. Of two at the end of March, one is 

 just completing a full body moult (including the tertials) 

 with the central tail feathers not fully grown, the other is in 

 fresh feather moulting still on the forehead ; another on i ith 

 March is worn all over, but some new feathers show here and 

 there, but none in quill; again one on 31st March has only 

 changed a few feathers including the tertials, but the tail, 

 tail coverts, and most of the body plumage is worn, no 

 feathers in quill. One on ist May is moderately worn all 

 over. Of autumn birds, three at the end of September 

 show no moult and one on loth September has a few crown 

 feathers in quill. 



I have only three Grey Wagtails, 27th September and 12th 

 October, no moult, and only one autumn Pied Wagtail, an 

 adult which, on 15th October, still has a few body feathers 

 in quill; of five spring birds, two (26th February and lOth 

 March) are in fresh summer plumage, two on 20th March 

 have a fair number of body feathers in quill, and one on 

 30th March has also a few. Of white Wagtails, eight spring 

 birds (6th to 17th May) arc all more or less worn, which is 

 what one would expect seeing that this species goes through 

 much the same amount of moult at the same time of year 

 as does the Tree Pipit ; five September birds show no moult. 

 Three Yellow Wagtails in first half of April and one on 8th 

 May are but slightly worn and show no moult, but two young 

 birds performing a coastal migration on 6th August and 3rd 

 September are performing a full body moult. 



The only Tits I have are six Continental Great Tits (first 

 halfof October)and one British Long-tailed Tit(27th October); 

 none show any moult. Some fifteen Goldcrests examined 



