47 



as I have shot mature Common Godwits and Sanderlings, com- 

 pletely through the moult, by the middle of October. 



Though the winter plumage of the young Knot resembles the 

 old bird, the winter plumage of the young Common Godwit does 

 not appear to do so. In October the young birds begin to throw 

 out a new set of feathers, somewhat resembling the first feathers 

 in colour, but more marbled, somewhat resembling the Grey 

 Plover in winter ; and in this state they are sometimes seen in 

 the following May, without any apparent approach to summer 

 plumage. By December, all the back and breast feathers of the 

 young birds correspond ; the tertials remain unchanged, and the 

 light-coloured spots on these feathers wear out, causing them to 

 have a jagged appearance. This is sometimes the case with birds 

 that have acquired the summer plumage the following spring, 

 showing them to be young birds of the preceding year. In the 

 winter plumage of the old birds the tertials are plain grey. I have 

 a very singular variety shot in December, with a marbled back, 

 the tertials much worn, showing it to be a bird of that year, with 

 the breast quite dark, almost brown, but not red ; and I have a 

 male Common Godwit, killed in spring, which I got in Leaden - 

 hall Market, with many others, more than thirty years ago. 

 It is in very complete summer plumage, and has some of the fea- 

 thers between the scapulars broadly edged with red, and not 

 spotted with that colour as they ordinarily are. 



It is not easy to account for the arrow-head shaped spots on 

 white feathers, often seen amongst the red breast feathers of some 

 male Godwit B in summer plumage. These spots appear to form 

 part of the female's ordinary summer plumage ; but, generally 

 speaking, they are not found in the male in the young plumage, 

 or in winter, or summer. The mature birds in winter get so grey 

 as almost to lose the bars on the tail centre feathers entirely, and 

 they are hardly traceable in some males I have in summer plum- 

 age. In well-marked Grey Plovers also in full summer plumage, 

 the bars on the centre tail feathers often become obliterated. 



I have a young Grey Plover of the year, killed in December, 

 considerably moulted to its winter plumage, but the new feathers 



