EASTERN REDWING 135 



grown nestling will float and can swim, but in a very excited manner. 

 They will swim to the reeds and hold on, calling for their parents. 

 When well covered with feathers, but yet a few days before being ready 

 to vacate the nest, they readily swim, but excitedly, and can climb up 

 the cattails to the nest. They are not combative and can not protect 

 themselves against enemies." 



Probably two broods are normally raised in a season, and perhaps 

 often three. 



Plumages. — The early nestling plumages are described above. 

 Dwight (1900) describes the juvenal plumage of the young male as 

 follows: "Above, including sides of head, wings, tail, and lesser 

 coverts (i. e., the so called 'shoulders') dull brownish black (no red at 

 this stage), the feathers edged with buff, palest and narrowest on 

 primaries, rectrices, head and rump, and richest on scapulars and 

 secondaries. Below pinkish buff, ochraceous on the chin, thickly 

 streaked (except on the chin) with brownish black. Obscure super- 

 ciliary line ochraceous-buff." 



A complete postjuvenal molt, beginning in August, the time varying 

 for the earlier and later broods, produces the first winter plumage of 

 the male, in which the "entire plumage, including wings and tail," 

 is "greenish black much veiled with buffy and ferruginous edgings, 

 palest below and faint or absent on primaries and rectrices. Lesser 

 wing coverts ('shoulders') dull orpiment-orange, each feather with 

 subterminal bars or spots of black. Median coverts rich ochraceous 

 buff usually mottled with black subterminal areas chiefly on the inner 

 webs, the shafts usually black." 



The first nuptial plumage is "acquired by wear, which is consider- 

 able, birds becoming a dull brownish black by loss of the feather edg- 

 ings and by fading. The mottled 'shoulder patches' are characteristic 

 of young birds, the amount of orange varying greatly. The wings 

 and tail show marked wear." 



A complete postnuptial molt occurs in August, at which young and 

 old become practically indistinguishable. Dwight describes this 

 adult winter plumage of the male as "lustrous greenish black, feathers 

 of head and back, greater wing coverts and tertiaries edged more or 

 less (according to the individual) with buff and ferruginous brown. 

 Below, the edgings are paler or absent. The bright scarlet-vermilion 

 'shoulders' are acquired together with the rich ochraceous buff median 

 coverts." 



The full brilliancy of the spring plumage is produced by wear, the 

 buff and brown edgings disappearing; the wings and tails of the adults 

 show less wear than in the young birds. 



Of the plumages of the female, Dwight (1900) writes; "In natal 

 down and juvenal plumage females differ little from males, the juvenal 



