The Zoologist — April, 1866. 169 



Ornithological Notes from the Isle of Wight. 

 By Captain Henry Haufield. 



(Continued from Zool. 984f!). 



October, 1865. 



Stvan.—^mce remarldng on the plumage of the cygnet (Zool. 9723) 

 the bird has lost the whole of the grayish brown tinge then observable 

 on the lower part of the back, the plumage having for some weeks 

 been of a pure unspotted white all over, proving Yarrell right, and 

 Temminck wrong, with regard to the length of time that this species is 

 in acquiring the perfectly white or adult plumage ; but the latter was 

 right, I believe, in thinking that the swan is not perfectly matured till 

 the third year, for the bill of this cygnet is still of a dusky horn-colour, 

 with a slight pinkish or reddish tinge, and there is now seemingly 

 little prospect of its assuming the bright orange colour this (its second) 

 year. Temminck merely remarks that the bill at the second year 

 becomes yellowish. 



Blackbird.— Ociohex 9ih. In ray July notes the capture of a young 

 pied bird of this species was recorded, and I then expressed my doubts 

 as to the permanent retention of the white plumage, giving my reasons 

 for it ; and subsequent observations has partly verified my conjectures, 

 and confirmed me in the opinion that the white of these pied varieties 

 is not a fast colour. Though the tail-feathers were all white, except 

 at the tips, they are now wholly black, but a few of the exterior coverts 

 are still white, and there is a spot or two of the same on the lower part 

 of the back, and a slight grayish tinge on the upper, also on the wing- 

 coverts, but so faint as to be barely distinguishable, whereas before the 

 moult there was a considerable admixture of white ; in fact, the bird 

 is so transformed that even at a short distance it might be taken for 

 one of ordinary colour. The bill, which was of a dusky colour, 

 slightly tinged with yellow, is now almost wholly of the latter colour. 

 In its now perfect adult plumage it appears at least a third larger, and 

 is a remarkably fine and handsome bird. My anticipations being so 

 far fulfilled, I would now venture to predict that at the next moult all 

 traces of these white and grayish tints will have disappeared. The 

 house sparrow is another species subject to these variations of colour: 

 one partially white was observed on the 11th of October. I once 

 shot a sparrow almost white, which proved to be a young bird. Since 

 writing this note, I have chanced to observe in Buffon the followino- 



SECOND series— VOL. I. Z 



