666 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 237 paet a 



young and old becoming practically indistinguishable. *** Above, 

 chiefly drab-gray which edges feathers clove-brown centrally bordered 

 by a zone of Vandyke-brown so that the streaking above is suffused. 

 The nape and median crown stripe are yellowish. The edgings of the 

 wing coverts, secondaries, and tertiaries are of a vinaceous cinnamon 

 which rapidly fades. Below, white, buff tinged on sides of head, 

 across throat and on sides, streaked on sides of chin, across jugulum 

 and on sides and flanks with russet bordered by clove-brown which 

 is veiled by overlapping whitish feather edgings. Superciliary line 

 ash gray. No yellow above the eye." 



The first nuptial plumage is acquired by a partial prenuptial molt 

 involving the head, throat, part of the breast, and a few stray feathers 

 of other tracts, but not wings or tail. The chin and throat become 

 whiter and their streakings darker; the yellow of the superciliary line 

 is acquired. Elsewhere the buffy tints fade out and the streakings 

 become more prominent beneath the veiling owing to abrasion. The 

 prenuptial molt begins in February and lasts through March in the 

 vicinity of New York City. 



The adult winter plumage, acquired by complete postnuptial molt in 

 July and August, is indistinguishable with certainty from the first 

 winter dress, but is usually grayer or more hoary, the russet above 

 deeper on the wings, everywhere less suffused with buff. Some speci- 

 mens are tinged with yellow before the eye. The adult nuptial plum- 

 age is acquired by a partial prenuptial molt as in the young bird. 



The sexes are practically indistinguishable according to Dwight, 

 although females average rather browner and duller, and their molts 

 are identical except that the prenuptial molt of the female is more 

 limited than that of the male. 



Dwight (1900) states, from examination of birds sent him, that the 

 first winter plumage is acquired by a partial post-juvenal molt in 

 August. During my 1948 visit to Sable Island the many ragged and 

 tailless adult birds I saw showed postnuptial molt progressing in late 

 July. Some showed considerable loss of feathers about the face; in 

 others the superciliary line was mostly gray with a few very small 

 yellow patches still showing. One or two almost bald individuals 

 recalled the fighting by males during courtship that Dwight described. 

 The trim juveniles were readily distinguishable from the gray adults 

 by their huffier and browner tones. 



Food. — A Department of Agriculture report by Beal on 56 stomachs 

 Dwight sent him lists the contents of 19 Sable Island summer speci- 

 mens and 37 winter birds from Long Island and New Jersey. The 

 food of the summer birds consisted of 75.5 percent animal matter, 15.2 

 percent vegetable matter, and 9.3 percent gravel or sand. The 35 

 winter specimens contained 7.3 percent animal matter, 57.8 percent 



