ele Dwicut, Moult of Quails and Grouse. 153 
third is grown, suggests the idea of classing them as part of the 
Winter plumage. As, however, they belong to the series which 
develops before the postjuvenal moult begins, it seems best to 
class them with the juvenal dress, as I have consistently done in 
describing the other Grouse and Quails. The juvenal rectrices 
are deep brown barred with reddish brown and narrowly tipped 
with white. Males and females are practically indistinguishable 
in juvenal dress. 
The early appearance of the postjuvenal moult when the birds 
are hardly half grown is not peculiar to the Ptarmigans, but the 
appearance of new white primaries at both ends of a brown series 
is confusing unless the origin of these feathers is thoroughly under- 
stood. Several birds illustrate this stage. One of them (Am. 
Mus. No. 26176, Labrador, July 22), hardly half grown and still 
downy about the head, has replaced the ninth and tenth juve- 
nal primaries by white ones just breaking from their sheaths; the 
ninth is a mere pin point, while the white first and second are 
nearly grown and still pulpy, the brown third primary showing 
traces of its immaturity by the persistent scaly sheath at its base. 
Except about the head and throat the juvenal plumage of the body 
has been mostly acquired. | Another bird, the date of capture lack- 
ing (Am. Mus. No. 45191, Labrador) is more advanced, the tenth 
primary being well grown and only the third to the sixth of the 
brown ones remain. The juvenal tail is still retained. Still an- 
other bird two thirds grown (Am. Mus. No. 26175) retains only 
the third and fourth of the brown juvenal primaries although juve- 
nal feathers are still expanding on the back, head and throat. 
First Winter Plumage (preliminary), acquired by a postnuptial 
moult which is generally very incomplete in birds of the far North, 
but more extensive in those of lower latitudes. A mere sprinkling 
of reddish brown finely vermiculated or mottled feathers of the 
type shown by Plate 1, Figs. 2, 3 and 10, may be acquired or 
the renewal may be complete, the abdomen, flanks, legs and 
feet, however, always assuming at this moult pure white feath- 
ers of the type shown by Figs. 4 and 11. The remiges except 
the two distal primaries, which are not moulted, and most of 
the wing-coverts are replaced by white ones. A few proximal 
remiges that correspond to tertiaries, and a couple of rows of 
