ORMITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS. 



189 



colors of the uaked parts of tlie face and by lacking the white feathers 

 on the neck and thighs. In the following spring, or when about twenty- 

 three mouths old, it begins to breed. 



The white plumes ou neck and thighs belonging to the breeding 

 plumage are generally assumed during the early part of the winter ; 

 still, many of them were undeveloped in a female shot on the 26th of 

 April, 1883. These white feathers do not exclusively belong to the 

 adult plumage, as a young female, shot in February, has the thighs of 

 the sooty plumage broadly streaked with white feathers, which are not 

 dense enough, however, to form a continuous patch. Even in the young, 

 only a few days old, the down on the thighs is distinctly white, in 

 strong contrast to the brownish color of the down on the rest of the 

 body. The ornamental white plumes disappear in the course of sum- 

 mer, wUeu the breeding process is over, at which time also the gradual 

 moult of the wing and tail-feathers commences. 



During winter the color of the naked parts in the young changes from 

 an ashy flesh-color to a dark grayish brown, while at that time the 

 adults have the caruuclesof a dull brownish orange, which color, towards 

 the breeding season, changes into a deep vermilion, while the skin be- 

 tween the caruncles remains dark grayish brown. Mr. Taczanowski 

 says* that the red caruncles disappear after the breeding season, and 

 that the naked sides of the face are then covered more or less with 

 feathers. This is, however, not the case, his mistake evidently being 

 caused by having before him young birds in their second plumage, say 

 between thirteen and twenty months old. 



List of specimens collected. ' 



Tom. d<.,p.342. 



