RING-NECKED LOON. 293 



Progress toward Maturity. — In this state they con- 

 tinue until the next autumnal moult, according to some ; 

 but Mr. Audubon says that " toward spring the eye assumes 

 a redder tint, and the plumage of the upper parts gradually 

 becomes spotted with white ; and Avhen the moult is com- 

 pleted about the end of summer, the plumage is as in the 

 adult, although the tints are improved at each successive 

 moult for several years." M. Temminck gives a very dif- 

 ferent statement : — " At the age of a year, the individuals of 

 both sexes assume toward the middle of the neck a trans- 

 verse band of a blackish-brown, about an inch in length, and 

 forming a kind of collar ; the feathers of the back have a 

 blackish tint, and the small white spots begin to appear. 

 At the age of two years the collar is more marked ; that 

 part, the head, and the neck are variegated with brown and 

 greenish-black feathers ; the numerous spots of the back and 

 wings prevail ; and the band under the throat, as -well as the 

 collar of the nape, are marked by longitudinal brown and 

 white lines. At the age of three years the plumage is 

 perfect." Nothing further is to be found on the subject in 

 the writings of any subsequent author. It is by no means 

 in a satisfactory state. 



