THE AMERICAN EIDER 385 



During the first fall the young birds resemble 

 the females though the markings are less clearly 

 defined. In the next spring the young males 

 put on a motley dress of brown, gray and black 

 irregularly splashed over the whole body, but 

 foreshadowing faintly the plumage of the adult 

 bird. It is probable that they do not get their 

 showy suit of black and white, clean cut and 

 delicately shaded, until the third year of their 

 life. 



For a time after the breeding season the male 

 Eider is said to put on a dress such as his wife 

 wears. I have never seen one in this plumage, 

 the latest killed male which I have seen in New 

 England waters was in the perfection of his 

 wedding clothes on May 30. 



During the latter part of their stay with us 

 there are comparatively few males in full plum- 

 age among the shotgun's victims, the most be- 

 ing what the islanders call ''mongrels" from 

 their curiously mixed plumage, — the young 

 males just mentioned. It would seem that the 

 elders of the flock go on to the north ahead of 

 the main body, since the flocks found in our 

 waters seem to be all young males or all fe- 

 males. Certainly during the last month of 



