154 BRITISH BIRDS. 



with jagged edges; the wings and wing-coverts are nearly uniform dark 

 brown ; the rump is white ; the upper tail-coverts are white, barred with 

 dark brown; the two centre tail-feathers are grey, obscurely barred with 

 brown, the remainder being white, more or less obscurely barred with 

 brown. The underparts are white, streaked with dark brown on the 

 throat, breast, and flanks, and slightly so on the axillaries, under wing- 

 coverts, and the longest under tail-coverts. Bill black; legs and feet 

 olive ; claws black ; irides hazel. The female differs from the male in 

 having the black blotches on the upper parts much less conspicuous, being 

 apparently in less complete adult plumage. After the autumn moult the 

 black blotches on the feathers of the upper parts are reduced to sub- 

 terminal margins, and the streaks on the underparts are confined to the 

 sides of the neck and of the breast, the under wing-coverts, and the 

 axillaries. Young in first plumage* have the feathers of the upper parts 

 blackish brown, with very pale buff margins, and on the innermost 

 secondaries and scapulars are obscure dark spots ; the colours of the rump, 

 upper tail-coverts, quills, and tail are the same as in the adult, but the bars 

 on the centre tail-feathers are more conspicuous, because the ground-colour 

 is white, but those on the axillaries are nearly obsolete. The spots on the 



* In Dresser's ' Birds of Europe ' there is a remarkable account of the changes of 

 plumage in the Greenshank. It is not quite clear whether the writer thinks that this bird 

 moults four times in the year, or changes the colour of its feathers without moulting at 

 all. Whoever he was, he appears to have been well acquainted with Naumann's history of 

 the habits of the Greenshank, but to have entirely overlooked that great ornithologist's 

 account of its progress from youth to maturity. So far as it is possible to judge, the 

 writer of the extraordinary article in question was absolutely ignorant of every thing 

 connected with the Greenshank, except the information which a series of skins might 

 afford. Being equally ignorant of the changes of plumage of the allied species, it is not 

 surprising that he misinterpreted the facts which the skins ought to have taught him. 

 The conclusions he appears to have arrived at are these : The young in down moult at 

 once into adult winter plumage, which gradually changes into the immature summer 

 plumage of birds of the year after their first spring moult. Then follows the adult 

 summer plumage, which gradually changes (the bird having presumably drank of the 

 elixir of life in the meantime) into the dress of young in first plumage. The cycle is 

 completed by a sudden jump into adult winter plumage, and these transformations are 

 repeated every year. What a misfortune it is that the writer of this remarkable article 

 could not renew his youth like the Greenshank, and reappear as a young author in first 

 plumage ! He would probably be careful not to dip his quills into the ink until he had 

 either worked out the subject for himself or taken the trouble to read up some author who 

 had done so. Articles of this kind are very amusing, but they must sorely puzzle the 

 young student though in most cases his bird-stuffer, even if he be only a country barber, 

 will be quite capable of correcting such childish blunders. It is scarcely possible to 

 imagine any person so ignorant of his subject voluntarily undertaking the task of teaching 

 others. Perhaps the explanation may be that we have here another case of too many 

 cooks ; but, to judge by the quality of the broth, it must have been the handiwork of the 

 scullery-maid. 



