152 LIST OF DItTENAL BIRDS OF PREY. 



SO ; the irides had become a less intensely dark brown, and 

 had acquired a tinge of bluish. In No. 2 the dark shaft- 

 marks on the breast had become more distinctly visible in 

 contrast to the other portions of the feathers, the latter having 

 apparently faded; the tips of the median, also the tips and 

 visible portions of the inner web of the greater wing-coverts 

 and the tips of the secondaries and tertials had all become 

 more or less white ; the irides had become bluish grey. In 

 No. 3 the cheeks had become noticeably paler ; white bases 

 and slight white tips had become visible on the scapulars, and 

 the irides had become a shade lighter. 



On April 1, 1882, 1 made the following note : — " The irides 

 of all three have now assumed a greyish-yellow stone-colour 

 or pale straw-colour, but they are still darker in No. 1 than 

 in Nos. 2 and 3 ; none of the three have moulted, and the 

 plumage of Nos. 2 and 3 has not perceptibly changed since 

 January; but No. 1 has become very much paler, and its 

 plumage, though it does not appear to be worn, seems a good 

 deal faded.""^ 



Towards the latter part of May 1882 the birds began to 

 moult ; but before the end of that month Nos. 2 and 3 died 

 without having undergone further changes. 



By the end of July 1 882 No. 1 was in full moult ; and on 

 September 4, 1882, 1 made a memorandum as to the remark- 

 able changes which it had then undergone, to the following 

 effect : — " The head has become white, with a dark brown 

 centre to each feather, except on the cheeks and ear-coverts, 

 which are pure white, and excepting also a brown patch 

 between the bill and the eye, extending for nearly half an 

 inch above the eye and also slightly behind it; on the neck 

 also the feathers are now white, with larger dark centres 

 than those on the head; the upper scapulars and inter- 

 scapulars are dark brown, broadly tipped with white; the 

 lower scapulars are dark brown, that colour being deepest 

 near the tips; the lesser and median coverts are not yet 

 moulted, but the new feathers of the greater coverts are 

 brown, intermingled with white ; the secondaries and tertials 

 are of a median brown, with two cross bars and the shaft- 



