214 DWIGHT 



Strikingly different from first winter dress in the depth and richness of the brown 

 and the marked blueness of the wings and tail. Above, Mars- or mummy- 

 brown .conceals the dull blue bases of the feathers except where these are 

 less broadly tipped as on the rump and upper tail coverts. Below, the brown 

 is paler and chiefly on the breast and sides, veiling bases that are cerulean-blue. 

 The chin, abdomen and crissum are almost white displaying better the con- 

 cealed blue. The wings and tail are black, edged with blue, the tertiaries and 

 coverts with Mars-brown, and the lesser coverts are almost wholly bright blue, 

 the others tinged with a darker shade ; the primary coverts are black, edged 

 w T ith blue which is apparently pale in the less precocious birds and deeper in 

 those more vigorous. 



Adults and young become practically indistinguishable. The 

 birds with the brighter wing edgings are probably birds more 

 than one year old or possibly more vigorous individuals. 



6. ADULT NUPTIAL PLUMAGE acquired by a partial prenuptial 

 moult which involves most of the body plumage, part of the wing 

 coverts and tertiaries, but not the rest of the wings nor the tail. 

 The less vigorous birds retain old worn wing coverts or stray 

 feathers scattered especially on the abdomen and crissum, else- 

 where assuming a greenish blue plumage purplish on the head. 

 The structure of these feathers differs from those assumed at the 

 postnuptial moult as may be seen under the microscope, but does 

 not differ from those acquired at the first prenuptial moult (see 

 plate VI, fig. 3). The blue of the head is always deeper than 

 elsewhere, and the feathers of the lores and interramal space are 

 black. Wear of adult birds has very likely given rise to the idea 

 of a color change without moult, as they do become preceptibly 

 bluer in a cage from gradual loss of the brown autumnal edg- 

 ings which conceal the blue beneath. 



Female. The plumages and moults of the female correspond 

 to those of the male, the prenuptial moult, especially the first, ap- 

 parently limited or sometimes suppressed. In Juvenal plumage 

 practically indistinguishable from the male, but with little or no 

 greenish or bluish tint in the tail. In first winter plumage 

 browner than the male and lacking the blue tinge usually pres- 

 ent. In first nuptial plumage (which is in many cases appar- 

 ently the result of wear) a greenish tail and few greenish edged 

 primaries are assumed together with a few whitish feathers be- 

 low. In adult winter plumage, similar to first winter, but 



