PASSERINE BIRDS OF NEW YORK 161 



this species, the worn and faded remiges and rectriccs of young 

 birds contrasting sharply with those of adults. 



FcDialc. — In natal down and ju venal plumage females differ 

 little from males, the juvenal dress perhaps averaging browner 

 above with less buff below and the chin narrowly streaked. The 

 first winter plumage is acquired by a complete postju venal moult 

 as in the male, from which the female now differs widely being 

 brown and broadly streaked. The first winter plumage is 

 hardly distinguishable from the adult winter and passes into 

 the first nuptial by wear which produces a black and white 

 streaked bird, brown above. A pinkish or salmon tinge is often 

 found in females in any of these plumages especially about the 

 chin and head and an orange or crimson tinge may show on the 

 ''shoulders" of the older birds. 



Sturnella magna (Linn.). Meadow Lark 



1. Natal Down. No specimen seen. 



2. Juvenal Plumage acquired by a complete postnatal moult. 



Above, clove-brown, the feathers broadly edged with buff palest on the nape, those 

 of the back having double subapical spots of russet. Median crown stripe, and 

 superciliary line cream- buff. Wings sepia- brown, the primaries and secondaries 

 obscurely barred on the outer web with darker brown and edged with pale 

 vinaceous cinnamon shading to white on the first primary, the tertiaries clove- 

 brown broadly edged with buff and having a row of partly confluent vinaceous 

 cinnamon spots on either side of their shafts producing a barred effect (the pat- 

 tern of a tertiary of this plumage contrasted with one of the tirst winter dress is 

 shown on plate II, figS. 15 and 16), the rest of the wing coverts obscurely 

 mottled with light and dark browns and edged with buff, the alula? with white. 

 The three outer pairs of rectrices are white with a faint dusky subapical shaft- 

 streak, the next pair largely white and the others hair-brown confluently barred 

 with clove-brown and whitish edged. Below, including "edge of wing" pale 

 canary-yellow, nearly white on the chin, the sides of throat, breast, flanks, cris- 

 siim and tibiae washed with pinkish buff, streaked and spotted with brow-nish 

 black which forms a pectoral band. Bill and feet pinkish buff, the former 

 becoming slaty, the latter dull clay color. 



3. First Winter Plumage acquired by a complete post- 

 juvenal moult beginning about September first after the juvenal 

 dress has been worn a long time, young birds and old becoming 

 practically indistinguishable. 



Annals N. Y. Acad. Sci., XIII, Aug. 28, 1900 — 11. 



