194 BULLETIN 203, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



dull greenish ; below whitish more or less washed or obscurely streaked 

 with yellow, the under tail-coverts pale yellow." 



Young males in the fall are much like adult females, but brighter 

 in color and often with traces of chestnut on the head. Apparently 

 young males wear this femalelike plumage all winter; young males 

 in March show a variable amount of chestnut on the head and throat, 

 and show further progress toward maturity during April, May, and 

 June, indicating a first prenuptial molt. A specimen described by 

 Brewster (1902) is apparently undergoing this molt. "It has the 

 head dull chestnut, very pale and mixed with whitish on the throat, 

 mottled with greenish on the crown ; the jugulum, sides of the neck and 

 the middle of the breast white with occasional small patches or single 

 feathers of a pale yellow color and numerous fine, chestnut-rufous 

 streaks on the breast; the remainder of the under parts pale prim- 

 rose yellow mixed with whitish. The back, wings, and tail are nearly 

 as in the adult female. The upper mandible is of the usual dusky 

 horn color, but the basal half of the lower mandible of a pale flesh 

 color. The plumage, generally, has a worn and faded appearance." 



This would seem to indicate that the first prenuptial molt is quite 

 extensive, and that young birds become nearly adult after their molt. 

 Adults probably have a complete postnuptial molt sometimes during 

 the summer, but the following descriptions indicate that the pre- 

 nuptial molt of adults is less extensive. Ridgway (1885) describes 

 the type male, taken December 16, 1882, as follows: "Head rich 

 chestnut, lighter or more rufous on the throat. Upper parts olive- 

 green, the wings dusky, with broad greenish yellow edgings; outer 

 webs of rectrices dusky, edged with yellowish olive-green, the inner 

 webs chiefly primrose-yellow. Lower parts bright gamboge-yellow, 

 the jugulum and breast with a few very indistinct and mostly con- 

 cealed streaks of chestnut-rufous." And of an adult female, taken 

 December 29, 1882, he says : "Above grayish olive-green ; wings gray- 

 ish dusky, the feathers edged with olive-grayish ; rectrices dusky, outer 

 webs edged with olive-green, the inner with primrose yellow. Lower 

 parts dull pale olive-yellowish." 



From Dr. Chapman's (1907) descriptions of spring adults it ap- 

 pears that there is very little seasonal change. Male: "Head all 

 around and throat reddish chestnut; back yellow olive-green, the 

 rump brighter; inner webs of all but central tail feathers largely 

 yellow ; wings black margined with yellow ; underparts, except throat, 

 rich yellow faintly streaked with reddish brown." Female : "Above 

 olive green, much darker and greener than $ ; tail black the two outer 

 feathers with large yellow patches on the inner web near the tip; 

 wings black margined with greenish yellow; below uniform pale, 

 dull yellow," 



