81 [Vol. xxvii, 



and one which was assumed by the male in its eclipse- 

 plumage, but in a less marked degree. 



3. Female assuming male plumage; Norway. 



4. Female assuming male plumage ; Scotland. 



Both these birds were fine examples of barren 

 females assuming male plumage, and had the breast 

 and belly blackish; in No. 4 the lower throat was 

 white, but not so white as in the Russian birds Nos. 1 

 and 2 mentioned above. 



5. Adult male in eclipse-plumage ; Inverary, Argyll, 



July. 



6. Adult male in eclipse-plumage ; Sutherland, August. 



Both these birds had the throat and upper part of 

 the fore-neck largely mixed with white, and the head 

 and neck clothed with barred feathers, somewhat 

 resembling those of the female, but darker rufous. 



7. Immature male, still retaining part of the juvenile 



plumage on the wings, &c. ; Norway, November. 



8. Quite young male in juvenile plumage, with some 



black feathers on the breast, &c. ; Dumfriesshire, 

 September. 



Males of the year, after their first autumn moult, could 

 always be distiuguished from old Blackcocks by having 

 the terminal portion of the secondaries and scapulars more 

 or less mottled with dark rufous. This mottling probably 

 did not entirely disappear until the third autumn-moult, 

 when the scapulars and secondaries become dull black like 

 the rest of the ■wing-coverts. 



Mr. Grant added that it was unfortunate that Mr. Witherhy 

 had been unable to exhibit the " adult male ■'^partly assum- 

 ing female plumage, which had been shown by Mr. Millais 

 at the February meeting of the Club. His impression was 

 that the bird in question had the scapulars and secondaries 

 black, and, in that case, it was no doubt fully adult. 



Mr. J. L. BoNHOTE concurred with Mr. Witherby^s con- 

 clusions regarding the specimen exhibited, and remarked 



