382 Dwicut, Moult of North American Shore Birds. ae 
York; No. 64972,\2, October, 19, New York; No. 47255, ¢ 
November 11, Washington ; No. 26963, ¢, November 25, France; 
No. 45544, November, Texas; No. 64535, December 20, Denmark ; 
and J. Dwight Jr. Nos. 674, 2,675, g, and 676 2, November 
24, Delaware. 
Mid-winter specimens are few and show no signs of the pre- 
nuptial moult, which evidently takes place later. The juvenal 
tertiaries, when retained, lose their buffy edgings and dusky tips 
by wear and so this distinguishing character between young and 
old is often obliterated. One specimen (J. Dwight Jr. No. 4897, 
January, California) is certainly a young bird. 
4. Lirst Nuptial Plumage acquired by a prenuptial moult that 
is apparently complete. March and April specimens regularly 
show growth of the new body plumage; but it is not easy to dis- 
tinguish adults from young, even in winter plumage, and they 
become indistinguishable at the first prenuptial moult. The 
wings and tails of adults are usually much worn. The fresh 
plumage is dull black above with rusty edgings and gray feather 
tips; below, white spotted with black and veiled with white edg- 
ings, the spotting in males so heavy on the abdomen that a 
black area is produced by loss of the edgings, which wear away 
rapidly. 
The following specimens illustrate this moult, viz.: U.S. Nat. 
Mus. No. 102142, ¢, March 29, Japan; Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 
No. 26962, 9, March 23, France; No. 45543, &, April, Cali- 
fornia; No. 55008, @, April 25, Texas. 
The incompleteness of the prenuptial moult, especially in 
females, is shown by a scattering of winter feathers found on 
summer birds, and when at the postnuptial moult new feathers are 
added to those of two other periods of growth, fine opportunity 
is afforded for those who would theorize about wonderful color 
changes and restorations. 
5. Second or Adult Winter Plumage acquired by a complete 
postnuptial moult, occurring earlier than the postjuvenal of young 
birds, but in adults as well as young an almost identical plumage 
is assumed. -A bird, U. S. Nat. Mus. No. 102125, g, August 14, 
Petchora River, Russia, retains six old primaries of the nuptial 
dress and new body feathers are growing, while No. 162593. gd, 
