VOL. IX.] MOULTS IN BRITISH DUCKS. 37 



The apparent exceptions to this statement are Gadwall, 

 Shoveler, and Bhie-winged Teal. Some of the spring 

 male Gadwall examined were in fairly full body-moult, 

 though none showed any wing- or tail-moult, wliile 

 from the worn and abraded specimens occurring in 

 May, I am convinced that this moult does not take 

 place in each individual and is probably of irregular 

 occurrence, in some birds not taking place at all, while 

 in others it may occur to a greater or lesser extent. 

 Whether first-winter Gadwall (wliich are easily dis- 

 tinguished from adult winter ones by the different 

 colour of the wing-coverts) have a partial moult in 

 spring or not is difficult to say. Some birds only 

 completely attain their first winter-plumage by March 

 or April, and the possibility of their then commencing 

 a spring-moult is most unlikely, though those which 

 attain their first winter-plumage earlier may do so. 

 One or two February specimens w^ere found to be in 

 moult, but it is difficult to say whether these specimens 

 were completing their first winter-moult (I think this 

 the most probable explanation) or commencing a spring- 

 moult. As regards the male Shoveler, many spring 

 specimens were handled, but only two adult males were 

 found to be in moult : one dated March 28th, Texas, 

 in the collection of the Natural History Museum, South 

 Kensington, was moulting fairly heavily all over the 

 body, but not the tail or wings ; the other, dated 

 April 2nd, was moulting on the upper-parts only. No 

 other adult male in moult was discovered, which is 

 fairly conclusive evidence that a spring moult (apart 

 from the renewing of a stray feather or tAvo) in this 

 species, in the adult at least, is an unusual occurrence. 

 Young males, on the other hand, may be found moulting 

 throughout the spring months, and while some do not 

 attain the plumage resembling the adult till April or 

 May others do so by February or March, and may have 

 a partial spring-moult in April or May. Three males 

 of the Blue-winged Teal, out of the series examined, 



