472 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 211 



greater coverts palest. Below, clear lemon-yellow, a slight orange 

 tinge often on forehead and chin." 



A. J. van Rossem has sent me the following notes on the molts and 

 plumages of the males: "From the well-known postjuvenal [first 

 winter] plumage, which is very similar to that of the adult female, 

 they change, in the latter part of March or the first part of April, into 

 a plumage similar to that of the adult, except that the dusky, greenish 

 rectrices, primaries with their coverts, and secondaries are retained. 

 The secondary coverts and tertials are renewed with the body plumage; 

 the renewal of the tertials is usual, but not invariable. It may be 

 unilateral or bilateral, and ma} 7 involve one, two, or three pairs of 

 feathers. The alula is occasionally renewed also. While there is 

 considerable variation among individuals, these one-year-old males are, 

 as a whole, somewhat less brilliant than the adults. The black of the 

 upper part is duller and more or less intermixed with greenish; the 

 red on the head paler, less intense, and more restricted in area; and the 

 yellows decidedly duller and less brilliant. 



"At the fall [first postnuptial] molt, the dusky flight and tail fea- 

 thers are replaced with the black ones of maturity. The fall body 

 plumage is substantially like that of the adult nuptial, save that the 

 head is yellowish green instead of red, and most of the feathers are 

 tipped with olive. This tipping is most pronounced dorsally, but is 

 apparent also across the breast. The chin and throat are nearly 

 concolor with the rest of the under parts. 



"The adult spring plumage is attained in much the same manner as 

 is the first nuptial. Whether this is a complete body molt, as is the 

 case with the first nuptial, is uncertain. There is no question as to the 

 entire anterior half of the body. The posterior half is molted to at 

 least a considerable degree, but whether the spring molt of the adult 

 includes all the posterior half, and such wing feathers as are replaced 

 in the one-year-old, it is impossible to say at this time; the evidence is 

 that it does not." 



Dwight (1900) says of the plumages of the female: "The plumages 

 and moults correspond to those of the male. The juvenal dress is 

 practically indistinguishable from that of the male. The first winter 

 plumage is rather duller, being browner above and paler below. The 

 first nuptial plumage is acquired by a very limited prenuptial moult, 

 such wing coverts as are acquired being duller than those of the male 

 and the few orange-tinged feathers paler, the whole bird paler and 

 grayish. The adult winter plumage is brighter than the first winter, 

 and in adult nuptial plumage a few orange feathers may appear 

 acquired by prenuptial moult." 



Food. — F. E. L. Beal (1907) examined only 46 stomachs of the 

 western tanager, taken in various parts of California from April to 



