128 BRITISH BIRDS. i voi. x. 



in all the species (except perhaps in Parvs atricapillus) they 

 have easily seen differences. 



The moult from the juvenile to the first winter j)lumage in 

 Parus and Eeynlus is usually confined to the body-feathers 

 and wing-coverts, but extends to the innermost secondaries 

 in some species of Parus and in P. major and P. coeruhns 

 the central tail-feathers are also involved. In JEgithalos and 

 Panurus the moult is complete. 



The first winter plumage is usually like the adults, but in 

 Parus major and P. coerulens small differences are noticeable. 



As I have already dealt in detail with the plumages of 

 most of the British species of Parus and of ^githalos in these 

 pages (see Vol. IV., pp. 98-103), I need not detail them again, 



British and Continental Goldcrests {Regulus r. angJorum 

 and R. r. regulus). 



Adults. — Complete moult in August or September. No 

 moult in spring.* There is very little change by abrasion. 

 The sexes are alike except that in the female the centre of 

 the crown is all lemon-yellow instead of the hind-part being 

 burnished orange as in the male. 



Juvenile. — The chief difference in the juvenile is that 

 it has no yellow or gold and scarcely any black on the crown, 

 which is greyish-brown tinged green and mottled with black, 

 especially on the sides where there are black lines in the 

 adult. The rest of the upper-parts are browner than in the 

 adult. The sexes are alike. 



First winter. — The juvenile body -feathers, median and 

 lesser wing-coverts are moulted in July to September, 

 but not the rest of the wing-coverts nor the tail- or wing- 

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



Fire-crest {Regulus i. ignicapillus). 



The moults and differences in the adults are the same as 

 ill the Goldcrest. The juvenile is very similar to that of 

 the Goldcrest, but has the lores and upper-jiart of the ear- 

 coverts blackish, the mantle, scapulars and rump rather 

 more green and the innermost secondaries without whitish 

 tips. 



* In the Scottish Naturalist, 1914, p. 247, the Misses L. J. Rintoul 

 and E. V. Baxter state that they have examined three .spring .specimens 

 " with new featliers coming on throat and crop." I have also seen a 

 few examples in March and April with a feather or two growing here 

 and there, but this is not miusual with many species which ha\e no 

 regular moult. 



