Vol. xxix.] 40 



they also assumed an eclipse-plumage, Mr. Ogilvie-Grant 

 had made the remarkable discovery that the hen bird 

 attained a partial breeding -plumage on the sides of the head, 

 as well as on the neck and upper-mantle, many of the normal 

 feathers being replaced in the mouth of May by sandy-brown 

 feathers irregularly mottled or barred with black, with a buff 

 shaft-stripe and usually also a buff subterminal spot. In 

 many specimens the breeding-plumage formed an irregular 

 necklet and produced a very mottled appearance on the head 

 and neck, which was doubtless highly protective to the 

 sitting female. 



These spotted feathers were retained till September, and 

 were often plainly visible in old females shot in the early 

 part of that month. That these very interesting plumages 

 had hitherto been overlooked was no doubt due to the fact 

 that it was most difficult to obtain specimens killed in the 

 '' close" season ; and it was greatly to be hoped that other 

 Members of the Club would assist in looking further into 

 this matter, as it was still uncertain in what month of 

 the year the female began to assume her partial breeding- 

 plumage. 



The pair of Partridges exhibited with their nest at the 

 Natural History Museum had been taken by himself in the 

 beginning of June, and the female showed the spotted 

 breeding-plumage fully developed on the sides of the head 

 and neck. Males shot at the end of May and in June 

 proved that at that season their plumage remained unchanged, 

 but had become much faded and Worn. The feathers of the 

 n])perparts of the body were quite grey from wear and 

 exposure, all the rich brown tints of the mantle, back, &c. 

 having disappeared ; the wings, too, were much paler and 

 the conspicuous shaft-stripes of the coverts were almost 

 white. The chestnut on the head and throat had also 

 become pale dull rust-colour. At that season (May to June), 

 male examples from the British Isles were greyer than the 

 greyest exaniples from North Russia killed in autumn and 

 winter — an interesting point which had not hitherto been 

 recorded. 



