116 A. L. V. Manniche. 



From this summer-plumage the hen passes into the autumn- 

 plumage. Two birds secured respectively August 15*^ and 16*^^ are 

 in almost pure autumn-plumage; feathers from the summer-plumage 

 are, however, still to be found scattered over the back, the sides of 

 the body and elsewhere on the bird. One hen secured some days 

 before still more approaches the pure autumn-plumage, which con- 

 sists of brownish-grey feathers with fine undulating markings; only 

 the belly and the wings are white. These autumnal feathers may 

 by described as follows: On a brownish-grey ground numerous black 

 spots are scattered, which without forming lines still produce a kind 

 of zig-zag markings across the feathers, the tips of which have a 

 pale cross-band. The borders of the feathers are greyish-black. 



No hen in absolutely pure autumn-plumage was observed. 



The hen will, before she leaves the country, gradually change 

 her fine autumn-plumage for her white winter-plumage. 



The cock within the pairing-season generally appears in full 

 winter-plumage; before the hen has begun her breeding, however, 

 cross-banded feathers of the summer-plumage emerge on the crown 

 of the head. Gradually as the moult from the white to the summer- 

 plumage proceeds, the male resorts to the rocks in which he \i\es 

 very retired; therefore it is extremely difficult to follow this moult. 

 I succeded only in securing one cock in pure summer-plumage; this 

 is figured PI. III. The belly and wings are white, the tail black with 

 a well marked white band on the tip. The dorsal feathers are dark 

 with whitish-grey cross-bands; the undulating lines hereby formed 

 are however finer than in hens in corresponding plumage. 



Very likely, this plumage of the cock scarcely ever becomes 

 pure, because the finely banded feathers of the autumn plumage 

 already appear on several parts of the body before it is finished. 

 The short time in which the cock has to finish his moults in these 

 northern latitudes accounts for this. It must be taken into conside- 

 ration, that he within the time from the end of June till the end 

 of September must pass from the white winter-plumage to summer- 

 plumage, from summer-plumage to autumn-plumage and finally from 

 this to the winter-plumage again ; thus it is no wonder, that the 

 cock during summer almost always appears in a mingled plumage. 



I consider the autumn-plumage to be very handsome : belly, 

 wings and tail like those of the summer-plumage, while the other 

 feathers of the body have a beautiful brownish-grey colour and are 

 minutely dotted as described in the hen. 4 birds in this plumage 

 are at hand. Their ground colour varies from pale brownish- 

 grey to a "warmer" colour. 



On the limit between the white feathers of the belly and the 



