184 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 211 



quality but in the application of this single pigment, determines the highly varied 

 results secured. Often the pigment is shadowed, or "washed," along its edges, 

 revealing thus its brown character. Not infrequently a tinge of the pigment is 

 suffused throughout the shell, and we get such basic tints as glaucous, yellowish 

 glaucous, "tilleul buff," and even deep olive-buff. Again, and more rarely, the 

 pigment is spread about superficially, in whole or in part, paling thus to vinaceous 

 buff, or fawn-color. In two instances in the M. C. O. collections the color appears 

 as a uniform vinaceous clouding on a warm buff ground; and in one of these the 

 freckling is so minute and so uniform as to render the egg almost indistinguishable 

 from that of a Yellow headed Blackbird." 



According to Bendire (1895) the measurements of 201 eggs in the 

 United States National Museum average 27.75 by 20.35 millimeters; 

 the largest egg measures 30.78 by 22.61, and the smallest egg 21.59 by 

 18.29 millimeters. 



Young. — Lack and Emlen (1939) state that "the incubation period, 

 determined by comparing the stage of development on various dates 

 through May and early June in each of 4 colonies, is about 11 days, 

 the fledgling period 13 days." They said that "both sexes fed the 

 young," but Grinnell and Storer (1924) observed, in another colony, 

 that "the females did all the work of feeding the young." 



Joseph Mailliard (1914) writes: 



After hunger fear seemed to be one of the first sensations developed in the young 

 nestlings. So much was this the case that the youngsters, say a week old, would 

 flop out of the nests on the approach of a human being and fall into the water. 

 * * * As the young left the nest and took to the tules their feeling of fear did not 

 diminish, and they would flutter or scramble away so fast in the thick high tules 

 that it was a difficult matter to procure a few for specimens. * * * 



By June 15 the colony was greatly scattered, many of the young accompanying 

 their parents abroad in search of food. * * * Those old enough for flight seemed 

 to return to the tules every night, and often for the purpose of finding rest and 

 shade in the daytime as well. By July 1 the colony was beginning to disintegrate, 

 and even before that date small flocks of old and young together could be seen 

 working toward the north, while but few were noticed returning from that 

 direction. 



Plumages. — In a general way the plumages and molts of the tri- 

 colored redwing are similar to those of the other redwings, with a few 

 specific differences, some of which are shown in descriptions by 

 Ridgway (1902), who said: "Young (sexes alike) much like summer 

 female, but general color browner and under parts of body narrowly 

 streaked with dull grayish white; middle and greater wing-coverts 

 margined terminally with dull buffy whitish, producing two narrow 

 bands; tertials narrowly margined with dull buffy whitish. 



"Immature female (in first winter [plumage]) similar to the adult 

 female in winter, but much browner, the pileum, hindneck, and back 

 strongly tinged or washed with brown, and the superciliary and malar 

 stripes, lighter streaks of anterior under parts, and margins of wing- 

 coverts brownish buffy.'' 



