ON COLOUR DEVELOPMENT IN THE INDIAN WOOD-STORK, A457 
31. Notes on Colour Development in the Indian Wood- 
Stork. By Grorce Jeynison, Belle Vue Gardens, 
Manchester *. 
{Received April 17, 1914: Read May 19, 1914. } 
On June 2nd, 1908, a specimen of Pseudotantalus leucocephalus, 
which I judged to be six months old, came to Belle Vue Gardens 
with other stock. It was at that time not more than half its 
present weight, the beak was straight and rather slender, pale 
yellow in colour. The pinions were of a dull black, the rest of the 
plumage a yellowish white. The bird ate fish freely, and has not 
had a day’s illness or check of any kind, so we may assume its 
subsequent development to be normal. The first change was 
noted in February 1909, when the feathers on the larger wing- 
coverts were slightly tinged with pink. During the next three 
years, that is until the spring of 1912, there was a continual 
change of the yellowish to ever whiter body-feathers, for the 
moult is extremely gradual and the new plumes make quite a 
checkered pattern with the old: the dull black of the pinions and 
tail took on a lustrous greenish tinge, and the bare skin of the 
head became red where it meets the feathers of the neck. 
These changes might pass unnoticed by a casual observer, but 
in January 1912 a drastic alteration supervened which could not 
fail to attract attention. The white feathers of the smaller and 
median wing-coverts of the chest and underparts of the wings 
were slowly replaced by black feathers, with a narrow edge of 
white. The perfection of plumage was reached in May, when the 
whole of the shoulder was a wavy pattern of brilliantly contrasted 
broad black and narrow white, and the bird in flight showed the 
same beautiful coloration on the chest and beneath the wings. 
The beak changes slowly, first thickening and afterwards taking 
a pronounced downward curve, which continues to develop long 
after the plumage-change is completed ; its colour changes mean- 
while to a deep shiny wax-like yellow. During this time the 
skin of the head, which can be drawn back an inch or more, also 
continues to develop until the forehead and cheeks are a deep 
yellow-umber and the hinder part of the head becomes a rich 
purple. 
The legs are now (1914) showing signs of a remarkable 
alteration ; for five years they were grey with a shght tinge of 
pink on the toes, the upper half of the tarsus is now a deep 
magenta-red. 
* Communicated by the SECRETARY. 
