CAPEi MAY WARBLER 217 



ovate and are almost lusterless. They are creamy white, richly 

 spotted and blotched with shades of reddish brown, such as "auburn," 

 "chestnut," "sayal brown," "bay," or "snuff brown," with an occasional 

 scrawl of black. The undermarkings are of "fawn," "light brownish 

 drab," "brownish drab," or "light mouse gray." The markings are 

 more concentrated at the large end. The measurements of 50 eggs 

 average 16.8 by 12.5 millimeters ; the eggs showing the four extremes 

 measure 18.4 by 12.3, 18.0 by 14.0, 15.0 by 12.0, and 16.0 by 11.5 milli- 

 meters (Harris). 



Plumages. — Dr. D wight (1900) describes the juvenal plumage, in 

 which the sexes are alike, as "above, dark hair-brown, olive tinged on 

 the back. Wings and tail black, edged chiefly with dull brownish 

 olive-gi'een, the coverts with drab and tipped with buffy white. The 

 two outer rectrices with subterminal white spots. Below, including 

 sides of head, mouse-gray with dusky mottling or streaking on the 

 breast and sides; the abdomen and crissum dingy white faintly tinged 

 with primrose-yellow." 



The partial postju venal molt, beginning early in July, involves the 

 contour plumage and the wing coverts, but not the rest of the wings 

 or the tail. This produces the first winter plumage, in which the 

 sexes begin to differentiate. Dr. Dwight describes the first winter 

 male as "above, dull olive-green, each feather centrally clove-brown 

 veiled with olive-gray edgings ; the rump canary-yellow, the feathers 

 basally black. Below, including sides of neck, superciliary lines and 

 spot under eye, canary-yellow, palest on abdomen and crissum, nar- 

 rowly streaked on sides of chin, on the throat, breast and sides with 

 black which is veiled by grayish edgings; auriculars mouse-gray." 

 The young female, he says, is "duller and browner above, and gen- 

 erally without yellow below, being dull white with gray streaking." 



The first nuptial plumage is acquired by a partial prenuptial molt 

 beginning in late winter, "which involves much of the body plumage 

 but not the wings nor the tail. The black crown, the streaks on the 

 back, the chestnut ear-patches and the streaked yellow of the throat 

 and breast are acquired," in the male. The female in first nuptial 

 plumage "shows a little yellow assumed by a limited prenuptial 

 moult." Both sexes are now in nearly fully adult plumage, except 

 for the worn juvenal wings and tail. 



Adults have a complete postnuptial molt in July and probably a 

 partial prenuptial molt, as in the young bird, though there is not 

 enough pertinent material available to prove the latter. Dr. Dwight 

 (1900) says that the adult winter plumage of the male is "similar to 

 first winter plumage but the head black, the back streaked and every- 

 where veiled with smoke-gray edgings. Below, whitish edgings 

 obscure the black streaks, the chestnut ear-coverts and the bright 



