182 Mr. H. Seebohm on the 



have regarded as adult male M. amurensis in winter plumage 

 after the second moult are really birds of the year which 

 have only moulted once, but for some cause or other have 

 the black on the head almost as pronounced as in the adult. 

 This variation in the plumage of birds of the year, especially 

 in those which have two broods, is by no means a new fact 

 in ornithology. Probably the young of the first broods 

 moult in autumn into a plumage more nearly approaching 

 that of the adult bird than that assumed by the young of 

 the second broods. This conclusion is confirmed by a male 

 in my collection obtained by Mr. Whitely at Hakodadi, on 

 the 17th of April, which is in the adult spring plumage of 

 M. amurensis, except the first primary of the right wing, 

 which is in the adult plumage of M. blakistoni. This might 

 be accounted for on the supposition that the first primary 

 had been injured during the winter, and had been replaced 

 at the spring moult by a feather of the adult plumage. 



ERITHACUS CYANEUS. 



An example (No. 1267) from Hakodadi is an adult male 

 of this species collected in May. A skin (No. 3225) col- 

 lected by Mr. Jouy in the middle of the main island in 

 August has scarcely moulted its first plumage, and shows 

 traces of dark terminal bars on the feathers of the throat 

 and breast, which are suffused with buff. The greater wing- 

 coverts have chestnut tips. 



ERITHACUS CALLIOPE. 



Several skins of this species have been sent by Capt. 

 Blakiston from Yezo. 



EMBERIZA SPODOCEPHALA. 



This species, which is very common in China, was first 

 recorded from Japan in 'The Chrysanthemum' for April 

 1883, by Capt. Blakiston, from a specimen collected near 

 Tokio in January by Mr. P. L. Jouy, and now in the Smith- 

 sonian Museum. I have examined this skin and find it to 

 be an adult male with slate-grey throat and breast. The 

 adult male of the nearly allied Japanese species, E. personata, 

 is easily distinguished by the clear yellow of the underparts 



