398 BULLETIN 2 03, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



upon she hopped up on one side of the nest and he fed at least one 

 young. At 8 : 45 p. m. a flashlight was turned on the nest. She raised 

 up her breast, inspected her young and then settled down for the night. 



On July 2, when 2 days old, the young had developed noticeably, 

 with feather papillae showing on ventral tracts. On the following 

 day feather papillae also appeared on the caudal, alar, crural, and 

 humeral tracts, and tail. None had yet appeared on the head and 

 femoral regions. On July 4, at 4 days, sheathed feathers appeared 

 on all tracts except the head. Wlien the male came to the nest to feed 

 the young, if they did not open their mouths he uttered a tweet to 

 which they all responded. The young twittered weakly when fed. 

 On July 5 their eyes were open and the feathers on the caudal and 

 ventral tracts were beginning to unsheath at their tips. 



As the young grew larger and acquired their juvenal plumage at 

 8 or 9 days, they frequently stood on the edge of the nest when alone 

 and went through gymnastic exercises by flapping their wings, thus 

 gaining strength in preparation for the time of their first flight. They 

 also frequently preened their rapidly growing feathers to assist in re- 

 moving the sheaths. 



At 10 days, the young exhibited distinct signs of fear. The follow- 

 ing day the nest was empty. (By the eleventh day, in another nest 

 under observation, two of four young had left the nest.) The adults 

 continued to feed the young in the vicinity of this nesting site for 

 several days, after which the entire family disappeared from the scene. 



Plumages. — Jonathan Dwight, Jr. (1900), has described the 

 plumages and molts of the blackpoll as follows : 



[Juvenal plumage] above, including sides of the head, olive-gray obscurely 

 streaked or mottled with dull black. Wings and tail, clove-brown edged with 

 dull olive-green, whitish on the tail, tertiaries and wing bands. Two rectrices 

 with white terminal spots on the inner webs. Below, dingy white mottled with 

 dull black. Bill and feet pinkish buff, the former becoming dusky, the latter sepia. 



First winter plumage acquired by a partial postjuvenal moult in July and 

 August in eastern Canada, which involves the body plumage and the wing coverts, 

 but not the rest of the wings and the tail. 



Similar to previous plumage but unspotted. Above, including sides of head, 

 olive-green, olive-gray on tail coverts, rather obscurely streaked, chiefly on the 

 back, with black. The wing coverts clove-brown edged with olive-green and 

 tipped with white, yellow tinged. Below, very pale canary-yellow, white on 

 abdomen and crissum with a few obscure grayish streaks on the throat and sides. 

 A narrow and obscure superciliary line and orbital ring pale canary yellow, the 

 lores whitish, a faint dusky transocular stripe. One or two black crown feathers 

 are occasionally assumed. 



Resembles D. castanea and D. vigorsii but distinguishable from either of them 

 by the streaked back and duller colors. 



First nuptial plumage acquired by a partial prenuptial moult which involves 

 most of the body plumage, the wing coverts and tertiaries, but not the rest of the 

 wings nor the tall. Young and old become indistinguishable. The black cap 



