74 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vii. 



to black for the first time,* and a general moult takes 

 place throughout the whole plumage. The moult 

 proceeds somewhat slowly and is not as a rule complete 

 until the end of November, whilst a few late birds even 

 retain an occasional feather or so of the ecUpse until 

 February. The general character of the second winter- 

 plumage is similar to that of adult males, except that 

 the former can always be distinguished by the black 

 edges to the long curled sickle-feathers of the inner 

 secondaries. Moreover these feathers are never so 

 large or so well curled as in adults. This character is 

 invariable as well as the " mottled " appearance of the 

 wing. The wing in the second winter-plumage is 

 generally black all round its edges, from the primary- 

 coverts to the shoulders, whilst the lesser, median, and 

 secondary coverts have the feathers broadly or narrowly 

 edged with black, these portions in the adult male 

 always being pure white. By April all traces of 

 immaturity have gone except on the wings. 



Second Eclipse-plumage. — This often begins to 

 appear as early as June 1st, and like the first ecHpse 

 the moult commences on the head and neck, the dark 

 colours next coming in by means of a moult oveir the 

 chest, back, and scapulars, so that all the bright colours 

 may be quickly obliterated. The feathers of the lower- 

 parts, rump, wings, and tail are not shed and remain in 

 second winter-plumage. 



The second ecHpse is for the most part similar in 

 colouring to the first echpse, that is to say in the case 

 of the new feathers that have been gained in July, but 

 these second eclipse Eiders can always be distinguished 

 in this month from first eclipse and adult birds by the 

 colourings of the wings and curled secondaries, which 

 remain as in second- winter birds. The whole of the 

 lower-parts also are jet-black as in adult birds. Moreover 

 males in the second eclipse never lose all the white 



* Instances of a young bird getting its black lower-parts in the 

 first year are somewhat rare, but I have seen examples of this. 



