“* RCLIPSE” PLUMAGE IN THE MALLARD. 33 
The head has only a slight amount of gloss; the cheeks are only 
slightly flecked with the same. The feathers of the abdomen are 
predominantly vermiculated, a few eclipse feathers being left 
among them. The tail has one good curl feather and another 
ridging. 
September 25th, 1907.—The head and neck are almost entirely 
glossy ; the white ring is appearing, but the feathers of the breast 
are still largely of eclipse pattern, though many young feathers 
have come through. Among the vermiculated feathers of the 
abdomen a few eclipse ones are still present; practically all the 
young winter feathers have come through. The scapulars are 
unaltered. There are two curl feathers in the tail, and a third 
is ridging ; the tail-coverts are glossy green, more so than when 
last described. 
November 12th, 1907.—The bird is in full male winter 
plumage, with good curl feathers in tail. The only trace of the 
eclipse is to be found on the flanks, where there are still a few 
feathers tipped with brown and a few brown feathers which are 
not vermiculated at all. This bird was allowed to live until the 
end of July 1908, by which time, had it been a normal bird, it 
should have been in full eclipse, or even have been passing out 
of it. 
The following note was made on July 27th, 1908 :—The bird 
is in full eclipse, though there is a slight gloss upon the vertex. 
The breast is in eclipse, but there are a good many partially 
vermiculated feathers in the lower part of the breast and on the 
abdomen ; there are no young feathers coming through. There 
are no curl feathers in the tail, but the two central are becoming 
glossy and beginning to ridge. he primaries and secondaries of 
the wing have been shed; the young feathers are not fully 
developed ; the feathers of the flank are vermiculated, mixed with 
eclipse. The bird was killed and examined on July 30th, 1908. 
On the right side there was a series of loosely attached nodular 
grafts, which in total volume are about the size of a haricot ; 
they were of a dull yellow, and brown on section. On the left side 
there were two small nodules, which, together, are the size of a 
small pea; there are other grafts, viz. at the root of the liver and 
attached to the mesentery; both these are of the size of small 
peas. All the testicular tissue is of a dull yellow colour. 
(No. 13.) (Text-fig. 3, p. 35) Bird in full winter plumage; 
castrated December 20th, 1906. Thetestes removed were brown 
in colour, and did not exude fluid on section. Microscopically 
the tubules have a wide lumen and a many layered lining, with 
smaller cells about the centre. There are no spermatozoa, but 
mitotic figures occur in certain of the cells. 
July 11th, 1907.—The general appearance of the bird is that 
of a male in almost full plumage. The vertex is dark green, 
though not definitely glossy ; the cheeks are flecked with brown, 
but the white ring on the neck is perfect. There is a slight 
Proc. Zoou. Soc.—1914, No, ITT. 3 
