SPRAGUE'S PIPIT 57 



active, and they seized in a flasti any opportunity to escape. Altliougli they 

 exerted a remarliable strength at times, tliey soon became exhausted and were 

 forced to rest frequently. They had as yet found no use for their wings, save 

 as additional limbs with which to balance themselves. Even when the birds 

 escaped from my hand and dropped to the ground, their wings hung limp at 

 their sides. Legs and feet were strong, but the birds could not yet stand 

 upright. * * ♦ 



Once the young were out of the nest, the adults changed their attitude com- 

 pletely, reverting to their former secx-etive habits. They were now almost 

 wholly silent. All flying necessary in the care of the young was done unob- 

 trusively low over the grass. * * * Although the area round the nest was 

 searched diligently, it was not until September 10 tliat the young birds were 

 again seen. On that date, two of them were Hushed from the grass about 100 

 feet from the nest. Oue Hew for some 200 feet, and the other for 100 feet, 

 before they returned to the grouud. A faint 'squick' was uttered by one of 

 tliera. They had grown amazingly, and were comparable in size and actions to 

 their parents. 



Plumages. — Mr. Harris (1933) describes the natal down as "light 

 grey in colour, long and dense ; on head, 3 to 10 mm. long, beginning 

 in two rows close together on forehead but diverging gradually to 

 pass over tops of eyeballs; on occiput, in two small cliunps 10 mm. 

 long, one on each side; about 10 mm. on scapular region, between 

 elbow and wrist, and on spinal tract — two short clumps on crural 

 tract; one tuft on each side of caudal tract." At the time of nest- 

 leaving, down was still "remaining only on sides of crown, on back 

 and on secondary coverts." He gives a detailed account of the juvenal 

 plumage at this age, to which the reader is referred. The following 

 briefer description by Ridgway (1904) seems more suitable for this 

 work : "Pileum broadly streaked with black and pale buff, the former 

 predominating; scapulars and interscapulars black edged with buff 

 and conspicuously margined terminally with white; rinnp similarly 

 marked, but terminal margins to feathers buff instead of white; wings 

 and tail as in adults, but whitish or pale buffy terminal margins to 

 middle and greater wing-coverts broader and more sharply defined; 

 under parts as in adults, but white of chin and throat more strongly 

 contrasted with the pale buff or chest, etc." 



A postjuvenal molt, involving the contour plumage but not the wings 

 or the tail, occurs in August and September. This produces a first- 

 winter plumage practically indistinguishable from the winter plumage 

 of the adult. The winter plumage of both young and old birds is 

 more strongly tinged with buff everywhere than is the spring plumage ; 

 the breast, sides, and Hanks, especially, are strongly suffused with 

 deep, rich buff in fall, March specimens are generally in badly 

 worn plumage, and April birds show much fresh plumage about the 

 head and breast, indicating a partial prenuptial molt. The complete 

 postnuptial molt occurs in August and September. The sexes are 

 alike in all plumages. 



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