Vol. xxvii.] 24 



encroaching much further on to the breast and belly. Two 

 young birds procured at Cromarty in October had the entire 

 breast and belly white, and were in that respect similar to 

 the bird shot by Mr. Frohawk at the Scilly Isles, butj being 

 only four or five months old, they were not moulting, and 

 had the bluish-grey iris characteristic of youth. Both 

 were heavy birds, and weighed respectively, (J 7 lbs. 14 oz. 

 and ? 5 lbs. 4 oz., as against $ 6 lbs. 12 oz., which was the 

 weight recorded for Mr. Frohawk's specimen. 



It would thus be seen that the amount of white on the 

 underparts of young birds varied somewhat, some individuals 

 being pure white, others white down the middle only, while 

 specimens (such as one exhibited, also obtained at Cromarty) 

 might be found in which most of the white feathers were 

 tipped with brown. In all young birds, even the whitest, 

 the sides of the breast and flanks were always dark brownish- 

 black. 



The series exhibited illustrated very clearly the variation 

 between one extreme and the other. All showed the 

 characteristic narrow whitish-brown edges to the scapulars, 

 secondaries, and their coverts bearing traces of nestling down, 

 conclusively proving them to be birds in their first plumage. 

 2nd Year.- — The above-described plumage was retained 

 till the following summer-moult, which generally commenced 

 in May and June ; but the moult in younger birds was 

 evidently irregular, the irregularity being probably partly 

 caused by theirvarying age, some birds being hatched in April, 

 others in June or even in July. These last would no doubt 

 commence their moult later than those hatched in April. 

 The plumage of the underparts was the last to be renewed, 

 and in the birds exhibited, killed in February and March, 

 the plumage of the second year might still be found in moult 

 on the breast and belly, while that of the upperparts, 

 wings, and tail had been renewed some months previously. 

 When the bird was about a year old the colour of the iris 

 changed from bluish-grey to green. The underparts of the 

 Cormorant in its second year were glossy-black more or less 

 mottled with white, the feathers all over the breast and belly 



