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centre of the crown ; and this line, and the superciliary streaks,

formed very conspicuous marks on the blackish ground. On

July 15th, I found the young bird on one of the sheds for the

first time, and, at a distance of about four feet, made the

following notes :—The superciliary streaks, although still very

conspicuous, seemed inclined to spread ; the central streak had

dispersed, and formed a cluster of sandy spots on the crown ; a

new sandy streak started on each side from the corner of the

mouth, passed well below the eye, but curved upwards close

behind it and almost joined the superciliary streak, giving the

face a curious but not pretty expression ; the back of the head,

nape, and cheeks were spotless and of a deep brown colour,

almost black. Something like a circle of sandy still appeared

round the neck. Back brown, each feather being edged with

sandy ; shoulders similar, but strongly inclined to be spotty.

Secondaries broadly edged with sandy ; primaries as folded,

almost entirely brown, but a little lighter along the edge of the

wing. Chest white sandy, spotted with darker. Tail brown,

laterally edged with light sandy. I never noticed the latter on

the mother during her life, but found afterwards that the whole

of the outer feather on each side was very light sandy, and also

the edge of the outer web of the second feather. I11 the young

bird, this light edging down the sides of the tail is often con¬

spicuous as she runs about, but I do not notice it in the male.

The tail was forked. Although still inclined to darker, the black

has practically disappeared. Where has it gone to, and how

came the young to be so very black? I have never studied colour

feeding, but cannot refrain from suggesting that the unnatural

feeding of these young birds may have caused an unusual flow of

latent black pigment. The mealworms were stopped as soon as

possible ; and the blackness in the survivor has subsided or been

absorbed. I am inclined to think that the male obtains some of

his colouring from a flow of pigment in the spring. On the

other hand, as a protective colouring for the young, the black

must be valuable; for the three tots, as broad as they were long,

when squatting about, looked remarkably like cattle droppings ;

and when one would raise his head in the long grass, the thick

bunch of sandy down on the eyebrows, not far off an inch long,

gave the black urchin such a venomous-reptile and generally

uncanny appearance as would hinder many a foe from approach¬

ing too near.


As regards the survivor, she and her mother were devoted

to one another ; and, as she frisked and skipped around her in

youthful glee, I felt inclined to frisk and skip myself, and to



