NORTH AMERICAN MARSH BIRDS 163 



when the bu^d is from one- third to one-half grown; downy filaments 

 still persist on the crown and the last of the down does not entirely 

 disappear from the hind neck and rump until the bird is nearly 

 grown. The fresh ju venal plumage, when it first appears, is brightly 

 colored, "chestnut" or ''auburn" on the head and neck, paler "au- 

 burn" on the under parts and gra5dsh brown above; the browns 

 fade out to paler colors later on. The fir^t winter plumage, which is 

 mainly a continuation of the juvenal, is chiefly gray, from "Quaker 

 drab" to "light mouse gray" or paler, darkest on the wings and tail 

 and lightest on the under parts; but it is everywhere more or less 

 suffused with rufous shades, "fawn color," " vinaceous cinnamon" or 

 "vinaceous tawny," brightest and almost solid "vinaceous tawny" 

 on the throat and lesser wing coverts; the feathers of the crown, 

 neck, and under parts are broadly tipped or streaked with dull 

 "wood brown"; the back is largely dull "wood brown"; all the 

 wing coverts have rufous edgings; and the bill is all black. 



The above plumage is worn throughout the winter without much 

 change, except that the rufous tints largely disappear by wear and 

 fading. A first prenuptial molt takes place from March to May,, 

 involving mainly the head and neck and some of the body plumage, 

 but not the wings and tail. The head and breast plumes are par- 

 tially acquired at tliis molt, the new feathers being "vinaceous russet", 

 "pecan brown," and "cameo brown." The juvenal wing coverts are 

 all retained and are more or less edged with dull buff. 



At the next molt, the first postnuptial, a complete change of plum- 

 age produces, some time in the fall, a second winter plumage which 

 is much like the adult; all light edgings disappear; the crown and 

 mantle become plain "Quaker drab" and the under parts plain "light 

 mouse gray"; but the plumes of the head, back and breast are only 

 partially developed. The following spring the young bird, when 

 nearly 2 years old, becomes indistinguishable from the adult. 



Adults have a complete postnuptial molt in late summer or fall 

 and a partial prenuptial molt, involving mainly the display plumage, 

 during the late winter. The winter plumage is much like the well- 

 known nuptial plumage, except that the plumes are not so long and 

 the plumage is darker and more richly colored, deep rich, chocolate 

 brown on the head and neck, suffused with a purplish gloss. 



It now seems to be generally conceded that the so-called Peale's 

 egret is a white phase of the reddish egret, although the status of 

 these white birds was a puzzling problem to some of the earlier writers. 

 Peale's egret was included as a hypothetical species in the first and 

 second editions of our check list, but was dropped in the third edition. 

 Audubon (1840) supposed that Peale's egret was the immature plum- 

 age of the reddish egret. 



