VOL. vit] plumages of THE EIDER. 75 



feathers on nape, back, and scapulars as adults do, and 

 this plumage has an incomplete appearance. 



Adult Winter-plumage. — The breast, lower-parts, 

 long sickle-feathers, wings, rump, under and upper 

 tail-coverts are only shed once — between July 1st and 

 October 1st, by which date the male has half -shed his 

 second eclipse and has taken on half of his first adult 

 winter-plumage. So the first adult winter-plumage 

 continues to advance until it is often quite complete 

 by November 1st. Wherefore the full plumage of the 

 male Eider is obtained in two years and four months. 

 Many however do not attain full plumage until 

 December. 



Top of the head rich bluish-black divided in the centre of 

 the crown which blends in the sea-green colour that covers 

 the back of the head, the nape, and the auricular region ; 

 cheeks, hack, and scapulars white \^-ith the latter tinged with 

 yellow ; centre of hack, rump, upper tail-coverts deep black ; 

 a conspicuous white patch on either side of the rump ; tail 

 brown with a grey suffusion ; primaries brown ; secondaries, 

 outer feathers black, middle feather white with broad black 

 margin, inner feathers long and curled and white ; lesser 

 and medium wing-coverts white with a slight tinge of yello^' ; 

 chin, throat and lower-neck white ; upper-hreast buff ; flanks, 

 lower-hreast, helly, and under tail-coverts deep black. Bill 

 olive-green above blending into blue-gre}' below and in front 

 of the nostril ; nail bone-yellow, a line of blue-grey along 

 the side of the lower mandible ; feet and legs bro\Mi 

 suffused with green, wehs black ; irides rich bro^^^l. Length 

 22 to 25 inches. Wing 11 J in., tarsus IJ in. 



Adult Eclipse-plumage. — In May, the males have 

 lost the full beauty of their plumage : the upper-breast 

 feathers become dull and the bird loses the fine yellow 

 tint on the scapulars and the rich green tint on the 

 head fades, and by June the tail and sickle-feathers 

 are Avorn and abraded. 



Sometimes as early as June 23rd and more generally 

 about July lst-4th, the eclipse-plumage of the adult 

 male begins to appear on the neck and mantle. Some 



