212 DWIGHT 



3. First Winter Plumage acquired by a partial postjuvenal 

 moult beginning late in August which involves the body plum- 

 age, the wing coverts, sometimes the tail and sometimes five or 

 six distal primaries. 



Similar to previous plumage but with very indistinct streaking and whiter below, 

 and not so brown above. Above, bistre often washed with Mars-brown, the 

 rump and upper tail coverts often dull blue, brown edged, the wing coverts edged 

 with cinnamon or russet, the lesser often with a bluish tinge, the others nearly 

 black, blue tinged. Below, dull white, washed on breast, sides and crissum 

 w^ith wood -brown, often russet tinged and indistinctly streaked with olive-gray. 



The renewal of the tail and primaries is a fact shown by several 

 specimens in moult and can probably be laid to individual preco- 

 city of southern-bred birds. Mr. Wm. Palmer has loaned me two 

 young birds (Nos. 3283, Sept. 17th, and 3655, Oct. 2d) taken at 

 Washington, D. C, both showing a postjuvenal moult in the rem- 

 iges and rectrices nearly completed, and I have seen a few other 

 similar birds. 



Dull blue feathers veiled with brown edgings are found spar- 

 ingly on the chin and throats of some specimens, these birds 

 also showing precocity by bluer wing coverts. At this moult 

 the tail and part of the flight feathers sometimes acquire their 

 blue edgings, although this renewal is apt to be deferred till 

 late in the winter. A similar moult takes place in some Song 

 Sparrows (^31. fasciatd) but never deferred till winter. A new 

 body feather and a worn one of this plumage are figured (plate 

 VI, figs. 1 and 2) as they appear under the microscope, but 

 owing to difficulties in reproduction, fig. 2 does not resemble 

 fig. 1 as closely as the feathers themselves resemble each other. 



4. First Nuptial Plumage acquired by a partial prenuptial 

 moult chiefly in February and March which involves a varying 

 number of body feathers, the tail, five or six of the distal primaries 

 sometimes all (but not their coverts except in some cases the 

 first), most of the wing coverts, the tertiaries and perhaps a stray 

 secondary, less often all of them. Two specimens (U. S. Nat. 

 Mus., Nos. 107844 and 107845) taken March nth in the 

 Bahamas shows actual moult of the body plumage, coverts, pri- 

 maries and tail, the brown primary coverts remaining, and a num- 

 ber of other specimens '(many unfortunately without dates on 



