254 The Zoologist— Juve, 1866. 



the throat is encircled by a collar of pale brown-centred feathers three 

 inches deep. Bare flesh about bill lemon-y eUow. Irides yellowish 

 green. Feet blackish and cream-colour. Bill quite as thick after 

 October as in the adult. (Taken from a bird now in my own collec- 

 tion). 



No. 5. Link 2. This plumage gradually fades till November, when 

 the feathers rejuvenate or transmute. This family never moults on the 

 back or breast, but the feathers grow, as it were, without dropping out. 

 In youth the feathers wear out and revive again, but in the adult they 

 never fade much. I have a beautiful specimen of the shag now before 

 me, in second winter, showing transmutation beautifully and lucidly. 

 The head, neck, quills, tail and some of the large scapulars. moult, also 

 the down of the entire body ; but the feathers of the shoulders, back, 

 scapulars, rump, wing-coverts, &c., the breast, sides, belly, &c., never, 

 to my knowledge, fall from the bird. Before the transmutation to first 

 winter plumage the feathers fade very much, the edges becoming very 

 bleached, but soon the bleached ends drop off, the bronze of the feather 

 lichens, the band gets more distinct. On the under parts the brown 

 centre of the feather encroaches on the cream-coloured tip. By the 

 end of December and beginning of January the bird may be called in 

 first winter plumage, (in collection birds of October and November, 

 first year.) 



No. 6. First Winter: Upper Surface. — From the base of bill, along 

 head and down neCk dark bronze-brown, with a real green gloss ; 

 tips pale brown. Shoulders and scapulars bronze-brown, with still an 

 undecided green gloss ; the bar along edges of feather rather distinct ; 

 edges lightly fringed with pale brown. Back, rump, sides and thighs 

 deep bronze, with a strong olive-green tail. Wing-coverts as in first 

 summer. Sides of head, neck and throat a mixture of green and 

 brown feathers, all tipped with, pale brown. Under Surface. — Chin 

 always and the vent in most cases pure while. The throat, breast 

 and the centre of belly of a burnt-umber colour ; the fringe pale, 

 inclining to cream-colour. Sides of belly deep hair-brown, lighter 

 edges. Eye-ball pea-green. Bare flesh at bill colour of a ripe lemon. 

 Feathers scanty before eye. The collar on throat is darker and 

 very distinct. (From a bird in collection shot early in January). A 

 diagnosis here will be unnecessary ; the italics will distinguish first 

 summer and first winter. The dark brqwn of the under parts alone 

 is a suflScient distinction. In life the two plumages not coming together 

 cannot be confounded. 



