174 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 237 pabt i 



just when the juvenal plumage ends and the first winter plumage 

 begins. 



Birds in transition between the juvenal and first winter plumages 

 were collected during the last week of June and the first week of 

 August, representatives of the first and second broods respectively. 

 A study of these specimens leads me to believe that the transition from 

 the juvenal to the first winter plumage is more prolonged in first 

 broods than in those reared later. No young birds were found in 

 the completed first winter plumage before the last week of July. 

 At this time, though a graded series showed all stages between the 

 juvenal and the first winter plumages, most individuals could be 

 placed readily in one of the two groups, those with complete first 

 winter plumage or those still in the juvenal stage with few or no 

 winter plumage feathers. This substantiates the rearing of two 

 broods each nesting season. 



The post-juvenal molt, which includes all but the primaries, second- 

 aries, and rec trices, is well advanced in young birds 5 to 8 weeks old, 

 but many feathers of the first winter plumage still remain undeveloped. 

 The following description is based on five birds ranging from 5 to about 

 8 weeks of age. Males and females are sunilar in color. Crown, back 

 and sides of the neck and rump buffy brown or olive-brown ; crown 

 streaked with fuscous-black, back snuff brown and Ught clay color, 

 the feathers with large conspicuous streaks of black. Primaries, 

 secondaries and tail feathers as described for the juvenal plumage. 

 Greater and lesser wing coverts and tertiaries fuscous black broadly 

 margined with sayal brown but in some specimens edged with tawny ; 

 edge of the wing and line over the eye yellow ocher; auriculars, breast 

 and flanks buffy brown; breast and flanks streaked with black; 

 throat and chin cartridge buff margined by malar streaks or stripes of 

 black; broad, short maize-yellow bands lateral to the black malar 

 stripes ; lower breast and belly light cream color ; unstreaked crissum and 

 under tail coverts light buff. 



The completed first winter plumage shows the following changes: 

 The yellow of the bend of the wing and malar and superciliary stripes 

 is more extensive and approaches a buff-yellow or light orange-j^ellow. 

 In some specimens a yellow wash extends down to the region of the 

 belly. One female and one male bird showed a small obscured patch 

 of chestnut brown which sharplj^ divided the buff of the throat and the 

 yellow of the breast. The lesser and greater wing coverts vary from 

 cinnamon-rufous to bay. The streaks of the breast are not so con- 

 spicuous as in younger birds. In all other respects the older birds in 

 the first winter plumage resemble those 5 to 8 weeks old. 



Some of the young are partially dependent on the adults for food 

 until they attain full winter plumage. I have often seen females at 



