RUFOUS-SIDED TOWHEE 569 



J. D wight (1900) describes the natal down of this species as "Pale 

 clove-brown." G. M. Sutton (1935) appears to be in agreement 

 with Dwight. David K. Wetherbee has written me that "drab- 

 gray" is a better description. Both Dwight and Wetherbee used 

 specimens of P. e. erythrophthalmus for their observations. My own 

 observations of P. e. alleni conform with those of Wetherbee. Dwight's 

 (1900) detailed description goes on to state that the juvenal plumage 

 of the male is — 



acquired by a complete postnatal moult. Above, including sides of head, cinna- 

 mon-brown (often darker) somewhat obscurely striped, broadly on the back, 

 more narrowly on the crown, with deep olive-brown. Wings dull black, the 

 primaries with edgings and a patch at their bases white, the tertiaries with broad 

 edgings of buff and walnut-brown, the innermost white edged, the wing coverts 

 with buflf or pale cinnamon edgings. Tail deeper black than the wings, the 

 three outer rectrices with subterminal areas of white. Below, dull white, strongly 

 washed with buflf or pale yellow, cinnamon tinged on breast, flanks and crissum, 

 and streaked on the throat and sides with dull black. Bill and feet pinkish buflf, 

 the former becoming slaty black, the latter dusky sepia-brown. Iris, sepia- 

 brown becoming deep red during the winter. 



Dwight (1900) further states that the first male winter plumage is — 



acquired by a partial postjuvenal moult, beginning the middle of August, which 

 involves the body plumage, the wing coverts, the tertiaries and the tail but not the 

 primaries, their coverts, and the secondaries. Young and old become almost 

 indistinguishable except by the browner primary coverts of the young birds. 

 Whole head, throat, breast, back, rump, wing coverts and tertiaries jet black; 

 abdomen pure white, the sides and flanks rich chestnut, the crissum cinnamon. 

 The upper tail coverts are usually edged with cinnamon and the back sometimes 

 has obscure Vandyke-brown edgings. The tertiary endings are pale buflf with 

 walnut, those of the inner tertiary nearly white. 



G. M. Sutton (1935) comments that Dwight of course refers to 

 New York birds and that in other areas the onset of the post-juvenal 

 molt is much earlier than August. Sutton presents records of the 

 beginning of the molt in mid-July in specimens from Michigan and 

 Georgia. 



Dwight's (1900) description of the molts continues: 



First nuptial plumage acquired by wear which is marked by the end of the 

 breeding season producing a ragged plumage, but the black areas do not fade 

 perceptibly and the chestnut flanks fade but very little. The brown primary 

 coverts are the distinguishing feature of young birds. 



Adult winter plumage acquired by a complete postnuptial moult beginning 

 early in August. Diflfers from first winter dress chiefly in the blacker wings, 

 especially the primary coverts and deeper wing edgings. Old and young now 

 become indistinguishable. 



Adult nuptial plumage acquired by wear and diflfering from first nuptial by 

 black instead of brown primary coverts. A few feathers may be assumed by 

 moult on the chin and elsewhere, but they are insignificant in numbers. 



