Vol. XVII 
1900 
PALMER, The Maryland YVellow-throat. 237 
The Molt of the Adult. 
In the new autumnal plumage all of the ¢vzchas group are dis- 
tinguished by a richness that they do not possessin spring. The 
dorsum is decidedly brownish, and the ashy of the head is 
obscured by brown tips, the black by ashy and brown. These 
tips wear off during the autumn and winter and much of the 
brownish also, so that the width of the ashy and black areas are 
increased and the color intensified by wearing. The dorsal 
brown is worn off, slightly in zoscoe, much more in brachidactyla, 
and usually almost entirely in ¢vzchas. A few spring ¢richas retain 
this brown to some extent on the pileum. ‘There is a spring 
‘ molt of the throat feathers, also of the facial black, but this last 
may not be complete. The fall molt takes place while the birds 
are moving slowly southward; the spring molt evidently occurs 
before they start northwards. The female does not molt in 
spring. 
The Molt of the Immature. 
As soon as the young is capable of obtaining its own food, it 
begins to change its nestling (mesoptile) plumage. This is 
effected rather slowly. First a few yellow feathers appear on 
the sides of the breast and then on the sides of the throat. 
Green feathers next appear on the back and scapulars, the body 
being first covered with the new feathers. In the male blackish 
feathers then appear under the eyes back of the gape, and brown- 
ish feathers on the top of the head, thence the change rapidly 
continues, the tertials, wing- and tail-coverts changing while the 
head changes. When the birds complete this stage they start on 
their southward journey (at least about Washington), so that it 
is difficult to follow further changes, but there is no doubt that 
the change continues and includes the wings and tail. No. 3203, 
August 14, 1893, W. P. collection, is an immature male ¢vichas 
that has nearly completed the molt; the four outer primaries are 
of various lengths of growth, the inner all having been changed. 
This is similar to the change in the adults and at once shows how 
