244 MR. J. T. CUNNINGHAM ON [Mar. 17, 
T believe there were 10 tail-coverts on each side in each cock, but 
the two outermost on each side were small and unimportant. It 
will be seen from the list given above that only eight of the 
coverts in Cock B had been pulled out, so that eight feathers were 
left, apart from the rectrices, which had completed their growth, 
and could not grow any longer till they were moulted ; while in 
Cock A all the feathers except one had completed their growth, 
and must necessarily have been moulted before they could have 
grown again. 
Aug. 11th.—The longest feather in tail of Cock B now was the 
central vectrix of the left side, which I measured today and 
found to be | ft. 83 in. long. 
The old feather was pulled out on Feb. 15, so that 1ts successor 
had been growing nearly six months, and had grown at the rate 
of little more than 3 inches per month. 
Aug. 16th.—One of the dark-headed hens had moulted all the 
rectrices as well as some of the tail-coverts, so that the rectrices 
were shed almost simultaneously. 
Aug. 24th.—Found that Cock A had shed another short tail- 
covert, one of the transition-feathers, and also three of the outer 
rectrices: the latter were the 6th and 7th on right side and 6th 
on left, counting from the centre. 
Cock B had shed none of the rectrices or old tail-coverts yet, 
but this morning when I was stroking the feathers the Ist anterior 
covert on the right side came out. The predecessor of this had 
been pulled out on March 11th, and it was in full growth. It was 
138 inches in length, and this was the growth of five months. 
There was no reason to regard the loss of this feather as connected 
in any way with the moult, as growing feathers are not moulted. 
The feathers growing in Cock B in place of those which were 
pulled out in the spring were as follows :— 
Three anterior coverts on right side. 
One posterior as . 
One anterior covert on left side. 
Two central rectrices. 
Sept. 1st.—The outermost rectrix on each side in Cock B came 
out when I was stroking the tail: they were loose and just about 
to moult. This may be regarded as the beginning of the moult 
of the tail, although one of the saddle-hackles and of the inter- 
mediate feathers had been moulted occasionally for some time. 
Sept. 2nd.—The 2nd posterior covert on right side in Cock B, 
a full-grown feather, was moulted. It was 1 ft. 77 in, without 
the imbedded quill, 1 ft. 83 in. in extreme length. 
Sept. 3rd.—6th rectrix on right side shed in Cock B; it was 
74 inches long without the quill. 
Sept. 4th.—\st (nearest centre) posterior covert in Cock B 
moulted; it was 1 ft. 73in. long. Also one of the outer anterior 
coverts in Cock A moulted. 
Sept. 5th.—In Cock B three rectrices and one covert on left side 
