5.28 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 



XXXI. — Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 

 The following letters have been received : — 



Sir, — I have read with great interest Mr. Claude Grant's 

 article on the moults of the Moorhen^ and I hope, as time 

 goes on, that we may have many more similar papers in 

 ' The Ibis.' Mr. Grant has done well to emphasize the fact 

 of the simultaneous moulting of the primaries in this species, 

 audit is somewhat surprising to find that it is not mentioned 

 in some of the many books on British birds, as it is a fact 

 well known to many British ornithologists, and I mentioned 

 it some years ago in an article on " Eclipse Plumage and 

 Flightlessness'' in the * Field ' (March 24, 1906, p. 441). 



As regards the alteration in the colour of the beak, I have 

 repeatedly noticed the change in early autumn in birds in 

 captivity, so that I was not mistaken as to the age of 

 the birds when I noted it in my book, but in the light of 

 Mr. Grant^s notes, it is possibly not undergone by every 

 individual. 



Perhaps it will make the matter clearer if I quote from 

 some of ray notes written at the time : — 



March 26. " The female Moorhen has nearly acquired her 

 red bill; this has been assumed during the last fortnight; 

 I am glad to be able to note this positively, as considerable 



doubt seems to exist on the matter." The hen loses 



the red beak every winter, re-assuming it again in spring. 



July 26 (of the following year), referring to the same 

 birds which had bred during the season. "The Moorhens 

 are in full moult, two of them flightless. Their bills are 

 much duller, but are not brown as yet.'^ 



November 4 (of the same yearj. '^ I caught up my Moor- 

 hens to-day; only one had a partially red bill, and this has 

 only been assumed during the past three weeks. The bills 

 of the others were greenish yellow, but the future red 

 portion could just be traced,^' [This last note makes it 

 certain that some males as well as females lose the yellow 

 and red on the bill in autumn ; I was evidently in some 

 doubt on this point previously.] 



