242 M RINGTAIL. Class II. 



harrier does not complete its paler plumage till 

 the fourth year. Could any doubts have how^ 

 ever remained, they must now be removed by 

 the observations of Mr. Montagu, communicated 

 in the ninth volume of the Linncean Transac- 

 tions. He obtained in 1805 a brood of young 

 birds, two of which proved to be females, and 

 one male ; during the first autumn and the fol- 

 lowing winter, their plumage resembling that of 

 the ringtail, was similar. In the ensuing July, the 

 male threw out several grey feathers, particu- 

 larly on the coverts of the wings. On the 20th 

 of Augiist, the greater part of the quil and tail 

 feathers were grown to their full length, and a 

 ■gradual increase of grey feathers appeared on 

 most other parts ; the eyes also, which had beeri 

 previously lighter than those of the female, became 

 more orange. In the month of October, when 

 it was killed, the plumage of the ringtail still 

 remained about the neck, the smaller coverts of 

 -the wings the thighs and part of the belly, in- 

 termixed with the male plumage ; the top of the 

 head and wreath had also a mixture of the fea- 

 thers of both sexes ; the quils, scapulars, and 

 tail were completely masculine ; in the last of 

 these, there were a few small broken bars of 

 cinereous brown on a white ground, in the three 

 outer feathers, the exterior margin cinereous 



