The Audubon Societies 



267 



decide to which factor the color is due. Moistening the feather is another way 

 of counteracting the effect of refraction. 



An understanding of the frequency of refractive colors will likewise cause 

 one to be more careful in his observations and descriptions of birds and will 

 also give him a valid reason for being unable to identify many of the de- 

 scriptions of birds that are offered him in perfectly good faith. 



The question is often asked, "Where do the brightly colored birds go in the 

 fall?" When one knows that the bright plumages are worn by most birds 

 only during the breeding season, the answer should be easy. The question is 

 also asked, "Why are young birds, and the old birds during the winter, dull- 

 colored?" When we realize that these dull plumages are doubtless the original 

 plumages that the birds wore before they gained the bright breeding dress, 

 there seems to be a better reason for them; and we are justified in this belief 

 because in these plumages they usually resemble much more closely their 

 relatives and probably also their ancestors. Many of us recognize birds only 

 when they are in their bright breeding plumage, and it is true that a study of 

 the fall birds is quite an advanced course in ornithology, but the study of the 

 fall birds becomes much more interesting when we are able to interpret the 

 plumages that we see. — A. A. A. 



