NOTES AND QUERIES. 111 
remains of black bars on the tail and a dash of rufous on the head.” The 
question, of course, arises, are these last-mentioned examples in their first 
or second, or even in their third, May? From the series I have before me 
I am inclined to think they are at least in their second, and possibly in their 
third, May, and that the full adult plumage is not attained till after the 
autumn moult following. Professor Newton, in the 4th edition of Yarrell’s 
‘British Birds,’ says: —‘“ Young males are like the female till after their 
first winter, but then begin to exhibit adult plumage, the head being the 
last part to change.” In former editions of this work it is stated that 
«Young males are like the females till after their first winter, but begin by 
slow degrees of change in colour to exhibit the plumage which distinguishes 
the males after having completed their first year.” Thus Yarrell would 
give the male Kestrel a year before beginning to exhibit the change of 
plumage. But he does not (neither do the others) tell us how long it 
takes to complete the adult plumage. No. |, the youngest example in my 
series, was killed in January. There is no indication of blue on the head ; 
there is, however, a very slight wash of blue just perceptible in some lights 
on the tail; and on the tail-coverts blue is the predominating colour, 
though the feathers are distinctly barred with dark brown. The feathers 
on the back and rest of the upper parts have broad patches of dark brown 
towards the tip, and also dark brown bars nearer the body. No. 2, a male 
killed in May, has a very slight indication of blue on the head; the dark 
streaks on the feathers of the head are, however, narrower than in No. 1. 
The feathers on the rump and tail-coverts are uniformly blue, having no 
dark markings except the narrow shaft-streak. The tail-feathers are very 
distinctly barred, but a decided wash of blue appears, especially near the 
base of the feathers. ‘The feathers on the back and rest of the upper parts 
are more like those of the adult male, having only a small spot of dark 
brown towards the tip, but still the spots are larger and more frequent than 
in older birds; the wing-coverts, however, are barred also. No. 3 was 
killed in August, probably his second August. ‘This bird has decided 
indications of blue on the back of the head; the new feathers on the rump 
and the tail-coverts are also blue. The feathers of the tail are barred, but 
not so broadly and distinctly as in Nos. 1 and 2, the bars towards the body 
becoming very indistinct, and there is a decided wash of blue especially 
towards the base of the feathers. On the upper parts the new feathers 
haye only the dark spot towards the tip, some of the old feathers, however, 
showing the dark bars of the female. This bird had not completed its 
moult. No. 4, killed in March, has a nearly perfect blue head, with only 
slight indications of rufous appearing; rump blue; tail-coverts, though 
mostly blue, have still rather faint dark bars apparent. The tail-feathers 
are narrowly but distinctly barred and washed with blue towards the base ; 
the outer web of the two outer tail-feathers are pale blue nearly throughout 
