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THE MOULTS OF THE BRITISH PASSE RES, 



WITH NOTES ON THE SEQUENCE OF THEIR 



PLUMAGES. 



BY 



H. F. WITHERBY. 



Part II. 

 (Continued from page 151). 



Family Fringillid.^. 



This family includes all the Finches and Buntings. The 

 adults all have a complete autumn moult. Among the 

 Finches only one — the Snow-Finch — has a spring moult and 

 this is confined to the throat. A number of the Buntings, 

 however, moult certain parts of the head, throat and breast 

 in the spring. The effect of abrasion in the adults is very 

 marked in most of the members of this family and in some 

 cases greatly alters the appearance of the bird, the effect being 

 that when the plumage is in the most worn, and therefore 

 imperfect condition, it has, nevertheless, the most brilliant 

 appearance. 



The difference in the sexes of the adults is usually clearly 

 defined and in some cases very marked, and only in a few 

 species is there little or no difference (Goldfinch, Tree-Sparrow, 

 Corn-Bunting, Little Bunting). 



The juveniles are in some species very distinct from the 

 adults {e.g. Hawfinch. Goldfinch, Crossbill, Lapland Bunting) ; 

 in most cases they can easily be distinguished, and where they 

 are much like the adult they resemble the female. The sexes 

 of the juveniles are usually alike, but in some cases have well- 

 defined differences. 



The moult from the juvenile to the first winter is usually 

 confined to the body-plumage, some wing-coverts and often 

 some of the inner secondaries. A complete moult, including 

 all the wing- and tail-feathers, occurs only in the House- 

 Sparrow, Tree-Sparrow, Snow-Finch, Corn-Bimting, and 

 East Siberian Meadow-Bunting. 



The first winter and summer plumages are in some species 

 like those of the adult and in others somewhat different. 

 In the latter the male usually either resembles the adult 

 female or is intermediate between it and the adult male, 



