on the Regent Bird.



129



straight down over ear-coverts ” ; “ centre of throat large patch

of black joined from patch behind eye in (? by) broad curve of

dark brown forming large facial disc more and more dark as

mark approached ” ; “ back of neck black patch, extending round

neck, almost joining facial disc-line, but stopped by another

small patch of black.” The figures of course represent fractions

of an inch.


Now on November 7 the black bar projecting down behind

each eye of my young bird was scarcely traceable, and before the

end of the month had practically disappeared. Thus at less than

four months old the young bird had lost the black protuberance

behind each eye while they were present 011 another bird of two

years old or upwards. Will my youngster, should it live, re¬

assume this black bar in any form at any time? If not, here we

seem to have a mark by which the Regent may be sexed at an

early age, should the still earlier differences in the “horns” of

the two youngsters fail to prove to be a reliable guide.


Do the black and brown neck-yoke and extensions, and

the facial lines, appear on the male when in brown plumage or

are they peculiar to the female? These lines had been in

evidence on all of the three birds just referred to, and have

been so familiar to my eyes that I have accepted them as a matter

of course and without note or comment.


Was No. 3 a female ? the only part of the plumage at death

adverse to the idea is the “ bold horn ” over each eye, for my two

females have not these horns nor had they them this last summer ;

but I remember that during last winter and spring I had a strong

feeling that a change had come over their heads, especially that

the light coloured bands which run back over the eyes were much

broader and made a far cleaner sweep along the sides of the crown

than had hitherto been the case ; and the disappearance of the

horns in the moult of the autumn of 1904 would have accounted

for this. Probably their disappearance may be accepted as an

indication of maturity ; both of the females were willing to breed

last summer, and the second female has been most desirous to

breed this autumn. On December 2 I had a fairly good view of

her when not four feet distant, and noticed that her eyes were

remarkably yellowish, quite yellowish-brown at any rate for the

time being.



