( 83 ) 
THE MOULTS AND SEQUENCE OF PLUMAGES 
OF THE BRITISH WADERS. 
BY 
ANNIE C. JACKSON, Hon. MEM., B.o.U. 
Part II. 
GENus Hematopus. 
OystER-CaTCcHER (Hematopus o. ostralegus). 
ApuLts.—Complete moult from July to December. From January 
to May, there is a partial moult involving the body-feathers, (not all 
the scapulars) sometimes the central pair of tail-feathers, some 
innermost secondaries and coverts, some median and lesser coverts 
but apparently not the rest of the tail-feathers and not the rest of 
the wings. There is little difference in coloration between the winter 
and summer plumages; in winter the black chin is more or less 
interspersed with white feathers, while a broad white band extends 
across the middle of the throat narrowing considerably as it passes 
on to the sides of the neck ; in early autumn the feathers of this throat- 
band have black tips which are soon worn off; in summer, the chin 
and throat are black, the feathers of the throat with white bases. 
The sexes are alike in plumage, but the bills of the females average 
longer. 
JUVENILE.—Male and female.-—The juvenile much resembles the 
adult in summer plumage, but the mantle and scapulars, deep black 
in the adult, are tinged brown in the juvenile, the feathers mostly 
margined warm buff: sometimes some of the white feathers of the 
back and rump are faintly tipped dusky; the upper tail-coverts 
are washed subterminally with buff and narrowly tipped black, in 
some with two or three dusky black bars or markings: (in the adult 
the upper tail-coverts lack the buff tinge and the blackish-brown 
tips and markings are often absent); in some juveniles the black 
chin is intermixed with white and the feathers of the black throat 
are white towards their bases and more or less broadly tipped black; 
the white bases only partially concealed and forming an imperfect 
white throat band, in others the chin and throat are black as in the 
adult in summer; the black feathers of the upper-breast bordering 
the white lower-breast have buff edgings in the juvenile, otherwise 
the under-parts are as in the adult in summer: the tail and the wings 
are the same as in the adult, but the black innermost secondaries, 
inner greater, median and lesser coverts are tinged brown, and the 
innermost secondaries and many of the wing-coverts (not the lesser) 
are tipped light or warm buff, some with a terminal dusky black line. 
The juvenile has the bill orange-yellow, brownish-horn towards the 
tip, feet greyish-white, iris brown, instead of bill orange-red, tip reddish- 
horn, feet pale pink, iris vermillion as in adult in summer. 
N.B. The buff tips to the feathers of the upper-parts are soon more 
or less lost by abrasion. 
First WintEeR.—Male and female.—The juvenile body-plumage, 
(not all the scapulars, nor, in some, all the upper tail-coverts), some- 
; times the central pair of tail-feathers, usually some innermost 
Secondaries and their coverts and usually some median and lesser 
_ coverts are moulted from August to December, but apparently not 
: the rest of the tail-feathers, nor the rest of the wings. After this 
moult the birds resemble the adults, but are always distinguishable 
_ by some retained worn brown juvenile scapulars, innermost secondaries 
