COLOURS AND PATTERNS OF BIRDS 107 



Stripes, visible on the head, but fading off into the brownish hue 

 of the back, are found in the tinamous. Stripes or spots arranged 

 irregularly or just suggesting striping appear in the nestlings of wading 

 birds, and in most of the gulls (see Plate VIII, p. 162) and terns. 



Sooner or later young birds moult off their down if they have 

 possessed it, and acquire a covering of true feathers. The feathers 



FIG. 25. Down -plumage Patterns. To the left a 

 Summer-duck, in the middle a Sheldrake, and to 

 the right a Rhea. 



appear gradually, either on the naked body or amongst the down, and 

 the time taken after hatching to acquire the first plumage may 

 differ much in very closely allied birds. The emperor penguin 

 remains no more than four months in the down, although the rather 

 smaller king penguin does not assume its first true feathers for nearly 

 ten months. The first feathers to appear are usually those on the 

 wings and tail, especially in birds that live or nest on the ground or 

 near the water. Young brush turkeys are able to fly almost as soon 

 as they leave the egg. Fowls, pheasants, partridges, ducks and geese 



