1885.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 625 



Vol. VIII, I¥o. 40. Washin^^ton, D. C. «««*-7,~t8«^. 



botanic garden, which is situated at about one mile from the sea, at 

 Basse-Terre. Its mate was seen at the same time, but could not be ob- 

 tained. There are now several specimens at the museum of Pointe a 

 Pitre. Mr. Vetrac lately showed me two, which he assured me were 

 young ones, taken from the nest in a clifl'y bank, but in size and color- 

 iug they did not differ apparently from adults. However, I did not ob- 

 serve them very closely." 



From Mr. Charles Colardeau I received the following account: 

 "The large Kingfishers, C. torquata, are very rare, and when seen are 

 very hard to secure, as they are very wild. I only saw three in two 

 years, although I hunted a great deal for them." 

 October 20, 1885. 



REMARKS UPON THE PLUMAGE OP AeGULUS CALENDULA. 

 ^^ By CBARIiES WI€K1>.IF1<'X: BECKHAlTl. 



As the books appear to be considerably at sea as to the presence of 

 the brightly colored crown-patch of the Euby-crowned Kinglet in females 

 and young autumnal birds, it may not be out of place to attempt the 

 elucidation of the matter. 



Wilson, Audubon, and Xuttall all say substantially the same thing in 

 regard to the female — that it is similar to the male; and in Audubon's 

 plate of the species the female, as well as the male, is figured with the 

 brilliant scarlet- vermilion crown. As to the j)resence of this ornament 

 in young birds in the fall they are all silent. In " Birds of North Amer- 

 ica," 1858, p. 227, it is stated that " the female differs very little in color. 

 It is quite probable that the species does not attain the red patch in the 

 crown until the second year, as the spring migrations of the species 

 always embrace a considerable number with the head perfectly i)lain." 



The " History of I^Torth American Birds," 1874, Vol. I, p. 75, gets 

 nearer to the truth than any of the other authorities by saying, " Female 

 and young without the red on the crown." 



In the "American Naturalist " for 1870 (IV, p. 54), Mr. Allen, in a brief 

 note, questions the possession of the crown-patch by the female, and 

 calls for the " experience of others." Mr. Ball, in the same volume, p. 

 376, mentions that he " took ten or twelve specimens in May and June 

 in Alaska, all of which had the red crown, and proved on examination 

 to be males." He saw no females at all. Dr. Cones, in the same vol- 

 ume, p. 316, in the "Key," 1872, p. 78, andin "Birds of the Northwest," 

 1874, p. 16,* expresses the belief that the male and female are similarly 



* "There has been some discussion respecting a supposed sexual difference in the 

 scarlet crest of this species. But the fact is that both sexes possess this ornament, 

 Proc. Nat. Mus. 85 40 



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