Birds in the Prince of Wales' Collection at the Zoological Gardens 87


My experience is that the first feathers to be shed are the bastard

feathers of the wing. One also knows, too, that when a bird sheds a

feather in one wing the fellow in the other wing is almost certain

to come out within a few minutes. Some birds seem to moult a little

all through the year, while others do a good out and out moult, looking

perfect scarecrows for a week or two, then coming out beautiful. I

find my Amazons mostly do this. They generally make a clean sweep

of everything. I don’t mean to say they become absolutely bare, but

they look pretty ragged and untidy. My Grey Parrot, on the other hand,

never does this, but sheds a few feathers at a time, and never looks

anything but absolutely spick and span.


Therefore the enclosed record of the tail-feathers shed in a year

covers the whole year and is not confined to any particular period :—-



Number of soft



’Bates





Number of

quills in tail



red feathers in

tail



Total



1917, May 30 to 1918, May 29



, 11



22



33



1918 „ „ 1919



33



. 10



16



26



1919 „ „ 1920



33



. 11



21



32



1920 „ „ 1921



33



6



18



24



1921 „ „ 1922



33



. 11



18



29



BIRDS IN THE PRINCE OF WALES’ COLLEC¬

TION AT THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS


5 Argus Pheasants ( Argusianus argus).


4 Rufous-tailed Fireback Pheasants ( Acomus erythrothahnus).


1 Vieillot’s Fireback Pheasant ( Lophura rufa).


5 Crowned Wood Partridges ( Rollulus roulroul).


3 Long-billed Francolins ( Rhizothera longirostris).


4 Javan Peafowl ( Pavo muticus).


4 Indian Peafowd ( P. cristata).


1 Red Jungle-fowl ( Gallus gallus).


2 Monaul (Lophophorus impeyanus).


1 Koklass Pheasant ( Pucrasia microlopha).


2 Nepal Kaleege Pheasants ( Gennceus leucomelanus).



