^2 Alexander and Nicholls, Tlie Little Penguin. T^^' 



Em VI 



July 



Freshly-moulted birds can be distinguished immediately by 

 the transverse lines visible on the white breast feathers. We have 

 traced these lines to the impression left on the feathers by the 

 base of the quill of the old feather. The tip of the young feather 

 is enclosed for about a millimetre in the quill of the old one, and 

 the barbs are thereby held together at the tip whilst tending to 

 expand lower down ; a slight mark is thus made on each barb, 

 and when the old feather finally falls off and the barbs spread out 

 flat, these marks form' a straight line across the feat-her close to 

 its tip. These lines are readily visible on the white feathers on 

 the breast, and on searching they were found to be present also 

 on the dark feathers of the back. They were referred to by 

 Nicholls in his previous paper, but, as far as we are aware, had 

 not previously been noticed or explained. The marks evidently 

 do not last long, but they do not disappear directly the bird enters 

 the water after moulting, as we were at first inclined to think, 

 since in one specimen, caught at The Nobbies just after it had come 

 out of the water, they are still plainly visible. 



5. Birds in fresh plumage (still in the undina stage). — One from 

 Phillip Island, Victoria {^), collected in March ; one from Phillip 

 Island and two from Queenscliff, Victoria, unsexed, and without 

 dates of capture. These birds are as brightly coloured as freshly- 

 moulted birds, but show no lines on the breast. 



6. Birds in worn plumage (intermediate between undina and 

 minor stages). — One from Penguin Island, W.A. ($), April ; one 

 from Mordialloc, Vic. (o), June ; one from Mordialloc, Vic. {S), 

 July ; one from the Melbourne Aquarium ((^), July ; five from 

 Mordialloc, Vic. (one ^, four $), August ; one from Tollgate Island, 

 N.S.W. {S), September ; one from Mordialloc, Vic. (?), September ; 

 one from Cabbage-tree Island, N.S.W., October ; four without 

 data. These birds are evidently the worse for wear, the blue 

 edges to the feathers being quite worn off the flippers, whilst on 

 the back the feathers have become dull, but are still blue rather 

 than gre}'. 



7. Birds in much-worn plumage {minor stage). — Three from 

 Cabbage-tree Island, N.S.W. (two 3", one $), January ; eight from 

 Phillip Island, Vic. (three J, five ?), March ; one from Mordialloc, 

 Vic. ($), April ; one from Phillip Island, Vic, June ; two from 

 Mordialloc, Vic. (one o, one ?), August ; one from Tollgate Island, 

 N.S.W. (?), September; one from Recherche xA.rchipelago, W.A. 

 (cJ), October ; one from Recherche Archipelago, W.A. (0), 

 November ; one without data. These birds are grey rather than 

 blue above, and the flippers are entirely dull grey, the white edges 

 having become dirty. The type of Mathews's E. m. woodwardi, 

 from the Recherche Archipelago, W.A., is evidently a bird in this 

 plumage, similar to the two from the same locality recorded above, 

 which were collected at the same time. These birds can be 

 precisely matched among specimens from Victoria and New 

 South Wales. 



Classing groups 2, 3, 4, and 5 together as birds showing fresh 



