BAR-TAILED GODWIT. 255 
from the chin to the vent, bright chesnut red, with only a few 
white feathers showing on the lower parts of the body. The 
feathers on the back also edged with rufous, but the wing-coverts 
as yet but little changed. 
No. 2. Male, adult. An almost exact counterpart of the pre- 
vious specimen, but having a few more rufous feathers in the 
wing-coverts. 
Of half a dozen killed on the 16th of May,—five males 
and one female,—the variation in plumage may be thus 
described :— 
No.1. Male, immature. Ina state of half change, with white 
feathers sprinkled amongst the red on the breast and vent, and the 
red of the neck, breast, and flanks, streaked and barred with black, 
which in older birds, at that season, is almost entirely absent. 
No. 2. Male, immature. Rather more mottled, with white and 
black on the under parts, but the red tints very rich in colour, and 
the testes somewhat larger than in the previous specimen. 
No. 3. Male, adult. In magnificent plumage; nearly all the 
feathers of the wing coverts margined with reddish brown, and the 
whole of the under surface of the body one uniform rich chesnut. 
No.4. Female. In winter plumage with the exception only 
of two or three red feathers appearing on the back and throat. 
Feathers of the wing coverts and tertials much worn at the edges. 
The ovary contained some eggs about the size of No. 6 shot. 
No. 5. Male, immature [?]. A very abnormal specimen, which, 
but for the evidence of dissection, I should have judged at once to 
be a young female, the bill measuring within 2-8ths of an inch, of 
the size of most females, whilst the other measurements are barely 
those of adult males. With the exception of a few minute freckles 
of red on the chin, this bird is in complete winter plumage, the 
feathers of the wing coverts and tertials being much worn, in 
some only the shafts remaining towards the anterior portion of the 
feathers. The testes were small, but still quite distinguishable. 
No. 6. Male, adult. In exactly similar plumage to the two 
killed on the 7th. 
Three more specimens obtained on the 17th of 
May, two males and one female, presented the following 
differences of plumage :— 
No.1. Male, adult. Exactly resembling the two killed on the 
7th. 
