46 Brewster's Descriptions of First Plumages. 



119. Porzana Carolina. 



Downy stage : chick a few days old. Bill short, exceedingly depressed, 

 high athasc, rapidly tapering, the tip deflected. The whole body densely 

 covered with dull black down, beyond which are produced abundant long, 

 glossy, black hair-like filaments. Upon the throat is a tuft of stiff, coarse, 

 bristle-like feathers of a bright orange-color. These are directed forward, 

 and give the bird a most singular appearance. From a specimen in my 

 cabinet collected at Cambridge, Mass., June 24, 1874. This bird, although 

 the only specimen of the kind now at hand, is one of a large brood which 

 was attended by the female parent. Several of the others were distinctly 

 seen and closely examined at the time. All had a similar orange tuft 

 upon the throat. 



Notwithstanding the close relationship of this species to the preceding 

 one, I am inclined to think that it has no distinctive first plumage, and 

 that the down is worn until the feathers of the fall dress begin to appear. 

 Negative evidence tending to strengthen this belief is afforded by a good 

 number of specimens shot during the summer months. The autumnal 

 plumage is too well known to merit description. The plumage of the 

 adult varies but slightly at the different seasons. 



SUPPLEMENTARY. — Tachycineta bicolor. In my remarks upon the 

 development of the plumage of young birds of this species (Vol. Ill, No. 

 2, p. 03), I stated that the first plumage was worn "much longer than in 

 most birds." From investigation of material collected during the past 

 season, I find that the change takes place from about the middle to the 

 last of September. Six specimens shot at Concord, Mass., October 16, 

 1878, have all acrpiired the full autumnal dress. The young differ from 

 the adults only in having an exceedingly faint brownish-ashy wash on 

 the breast and throat, and also in the shade of the metallic lustre of the 

 back, which is of a greener and less steely cast. Both adults and young 

 possess the conspicuous white tipping on the secondaries, 



Under the head of Coturniculus henslowi (Vol. Ill, No. 3, p. 118), I made 

 the generalization that, "with the single exception of Chrysomitria tristis, 

 this is the only species of the FringillidoB, so far as I am aware, in which 

 the young in first plumage are entirely immaculate beneath." That state- 

 ment I now find must be considerably modified. At the time of writing 

 it entirely escaped my notice that I had previously described a third un- 

 spotted species (l'iuicola enrich (ttor), and that still a fourth, namely, 

 I'yrrhuloxia ttinuata, remarked upon in the same paper as in transitional 

 condition, was also plain. Mr. Ridgway has since informed me that the 

 following additional North American species are, in the first plumage, 

 entirely immaculate beneath : Hesperiphona vesptrtma, t 'hrysomilris psaltria, 

 Chrysomhrii psallria mexicana, Spizella atrigularis, Cardinalis virffinianus, 

 Pipilo aht »■//, Pipilo fuscus mesoleucus, Pipilo fuscus albigula, Plectrophanea 

 nivalis, Leuconticte gruteinucha, Goniaphea ccerulea, Cyanospiza ciris. 



