422 



Key to Plate No. 17 Plate No. 17 -* 



AUTUMN PLUMAGES 



(A) SHOVELLER, adult male in early stage of autumn moult. 



(B) SHOVELLER, adult male in later stage of autumn moult. 

 Note : Wings during autumn moult are as in full winter plumage. 



(C) CANVAS-BACK, adult male during autumn moult. 



(D) BEDHEAD, adult male during autumn moult. 



(E) LESSER SCAUP DUCK, adult male in early stage of autumn moult. 



(F) LESSER SCAUP DUCK, adult male in later stage of autumn moult. 



GREATER SCAUP DUCK in autumn plumage is similar to LESSER 



SCAUP. 



Note : Wings during autumn moult are as in full winter plumage. 



EXPLANATION OF THE AUTUMN MOULT 



During autumn, the males of the ducks are moulting out of the "eclipse" 

 plumage, which closely resembles that of the female, into the full winter plumage 

 of the drake. A careful examination of the plumage characters will disclose some 

 indications of the male winter dress slight in the early autumn but progressively 

 increasing as the season advances. The full range of the moult will be best 

 appreciated if the plates showing the female plumage and that of the male in 

 winter are examined at the same time as this plate. 



Young males of the year follow much the same sequence of moult out of the 

 juvenile plumage (which also resembles that of the female) and are similar to 

 adult males during the autumn moult, except for the wings, which differ as stated 

 in "Description" of Juvenile in the text. 



Consult "Specimen Identification" in the text, and section on "Identification 

 of a Specimen in Hand." 



Winter plumages : 



Shoveller, Plate No. 15. 



Canvas-back and Redhead, Plate No. 16. 



Scaups, Plate No. 19. 



Text: Shoveller, page 215; Canvas-back, page 241; Redhead, page 230; 

 Lesser Scaup, page 252; Greater Scaup, page 248. 



