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by the bird fruni the time it was first feathered till the following- 

 spring, instead of having been renewed by moulting, as in the old 

 birds, in September. We frequently find the Knot and Sander- 

 ling in spring having two or three wing coverts in the bright 

 summer dress amongst the worn feathers, and sometimes a centre 

 tail feather only in the same state. These, I think, are only 

 makeshifts, to enable the bird to put off till the general moult in. 

 autumn, the bird requiring some new feathers, and, it being in 

 the seasonable state, they come coloured ; but, even these are 

 probably cast again at the autumnal moult. After these birds 

 have gone through the autumnal moult the year after being 

 hatched, I do not believe it possible to determine their age. The 

 Grey Phalarope perhaps illustrates my remarks better than the 

 Knot, as the plumage is more decided between the old and young 

 birds in autumn. 



During the many years I have paid attention to birds, I never 

 but once saw a mature Grey Phalarope in winter dress procured 

 in this county, and it is now in my possession. It was killed in 

 October and had then completed its moult to the sombre grey 

 winter dress. All the others I have seen were young birds of 

 the year, and undergoing their gradual change to winter dress. 

 I have them in the young plumage, scarcely having any winter 

 (that is, grey) feathers on the back at all, and showing darkish 

 reddish or brownish colour on the neck, resembling the old bird 

 in summer; and I have them nearly grey on the back, further 

 advanced towards the winter dress ; but all these are young birds, 

 and have the dark tertials edged witli light colour of the young 

 bird, and these they have up to the year's end, the latest time 

 we ever see them here. The plumage of the old birds is much 

 more dense, and the wing coverts are grey, and not dark, as in 

 the young birds of the year. The Grey Phalarope in its young 

 and winter dress much reminds me of the black-headed, and little 

 Gulls at the same season, as there is a similar difference between 

 the mature and young birds in autumn and early winter. That 

 the autumnal moult in old birds is rapid and complete, is certain, 



