G58 Mr. F. E. Blaainv on tha Iinmuture Dress of 



Tlie chick in down is coloured as follows : — Greenish 

 yellow, a dark olive-green transverse spot, shaped like a half 

 nioon^ on the occiput, where the black bars woukl be in the 

 adult bird. A dark olive-green longitudinal band with 

 transverse widenings over the back, makes almost the whole 

 of the back dark. 



The first plumage is similar to that of the adults, but is 

 duller in colour and differs in the following points : — There 

 are no white edgings to the small wing-coverts nor to the 

 feathers of the sides. The blackish band on the hind-neck 

 runs on nearly, but not quite, to the base of the bill, being- 

 separated from it by a whitish front. The blackish band 

 includes the whole of the white zone, which in the adult is 

 marked by the black cross-bars — it is darkest on the occiput. 

 The dark colour includes the eyes, and runs on in front of 

 them slightly lighter, to the base of the bill. The white 

 band, which in the adult descends on each side of the 

 nock into the grey, is wanting and becomes grey, like the 

 rest of the breast. The white of the throat passes gi-adually 

 into the gre}^ of the breast, and does not end abiuptly as 

 in the adults. The legs and bill are yellow, but lighter 

 in the adults, where the colour is more of an orange- 

 yellow. 



I had a brood of Tree-Ducks [Dendrocycna arburca) in my 

 park, but, owing to the cold weather, they did not survive 

 long. The nest was constructed under a bush at some 

 distance from the water. Five eggs were laid. The chicks 

 were hatched after an incubation of thirty days. The chicks 

 are coloured as follows : — Silvery white on the under side, 

 and black with white spots on the upper side. A darkish 

 grey spot on the fore-neck. The black of the back continues 

 over the hind-neck to almost the base of the bill, being 

 separated from it by a white line, which widens on each side 

 and runs over the eyes. The black zone on the occiput 

 and hind-neck is interrupted by a white band which begins 

 at the base of the bill on each side, and runs under the eyes 

 right round the head. (See text-fig. 13, p. 659.) 



