100 DWIGHT 



siderable period after they are full length. The under wing 

 coverts as well as the feathers of the carpo-metacarpal area on 

 both the upper and under surfaces are among the latest feathers 

 to appear in the wing tract, and the throat and sides of the head 

 are often still bare when the rest of the body and head is 

 well covered. 



When the next plumage, that of a third stage worn during 

 the first autumn and winter, is assumed, it may be gained by a 

 complete moult of the juvenal plumage, but, perhaps, more fre- 

 quently the wings and tail are retained, not to be renewed for 

 a twelvemonth. The only feathers regularly retained at this time 

 are the nine (or ten) primaries, their upper coverts and the six 

 secondaries. The tertiaries are sometimes renewed, sometimes 

 not, and the tail is irregular, usually following the example of 

 the primaries. All other feathers, with occasional exceptions, 

 are replaced by new, a moult which may properly be called 

 the postju venal, beginning in many species, especially the 

 Warblers, even before the flight feathers have reached functional 

 length. In some species, however, the juvenal plumage is 

 worn for a considerable period, even several months before any 

 moult takes place. These birds lose all trace of the adherent 

 feather sheaths indicating recent growth and are the ones that 

 most frequently renew the whole plumage, including the wings 

 and tail. Summed up there are two classes of young birds, 

 viz., those that acquire the plumage of the first winter by a com- 

 plete moult, and those that retain the quill feathers of the wings 

 and the tail, losing all others of the juvenal plumage. There 

 are individual exceptions in both classes that may retain old 

 feathers or series of feathers here and there of the juvenal dress 

 until the next moult, which may be within a few months or not 

 for a twelvemonth, many species breeding in the plumage of 

 the first winter. 



In some species the plumage following the juvenal may be 

 indistinguishable from that of the adult, in others the adult 

 dress may be assumed just before the first breeding season and in 

 still others not till after this season. Beyond this point it is 

 not possible, except in a very few cases, to follow the immature 



