VOL. X.] MOULTS OF BRITISH PASSERES. 127 



a moult involving the body plumage, but apparently not the 

 wing-coverts, wing- or tail-feathers. The fore-head and 

 croAvn greyish-broAvn in winter become french-grey, and the 

 chin and throat, white in winter, become black in summer 

 as well as the lores and most of the ear-coverts. There is 

 no sexual difference. 



JuvBNiLB. — Closely resembles the adults in winter plumage, 

 but the fore-head and crown are not so brown, the chin and 

 throat are smoke-grey tinged with brownish, while the breast 

 and belly are not quite so dark a slate-grey as in the adults 

 and have a brownish tinge. 



First winter. — The juvenile body-feathers are moulted 

 from August to November, but apparently not the wing- 

 coverts, wing- or tail-feathers. After this moult the bird 

 becomes like the adult in winter. 



Family JSittid.b. 

 British Nuthatch {Sitta c. hritannica). 



Adults. — Complete moult in August. No moult in spring. 

 Abrasion causes the buff of the under-parts to become a little 

 paler. The female has the chestnut of the flanks rather 

 paler than the male, otherwise the sexes are alike. 



Juvenile. — Closely resembles the adult, but the upper- 

 parts are duller and tinged with brownish, the stripe through 

 the lores and eye is brown-black rather than black and the 

 flanks and mider tail-coverts are paler and duller, not In-ight 

 chestnut as in the adult. 



First winter. — -The juvenile body-feathers and lesser and 

 median wing-coverts are moulted in Jul}' or August, but not 

 the greater wing-coverts, primary-coverts nor the tail- or wing- 

 feathers. After this moult the birds become like the adults. 



Family Parid.^. 



Tlie adults of this family all have a complete autumn 

 moult, and no moult in spring. The effect of abrasion is not 

 very marked, but the differences between fresh and ^\'orn 

 plumage, though small, are distinct. 



The differences in the sexes of the adults are well marked 

 in Reguhis and Panurus, in Mgithalos the sexes are alike, and 

 in Parus I can find no sexual difference in the plumage of 

 P. palustris and P. atricapiUus, only very slight differences 

 in P. ater, P. coericleus and P. cristatus and rather more 

 marked ones in P. major. 



The juveniles are very distinct from the adults in Regulus, 

 ^Egithalos and Panurus, but not so much so in Parus, though 



