202 OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHANGES OF 



ornithologists, Wilson and Audubon, who state that this bird requires 

 three years before it arrives at full plumage, may have been led into 

 this mistake from having seen birds of the late brood of July, not in 

 perfect plumage in the following spring. Mr Audubon, indeed, re- 

 cently informed me that he had satisfied himself of this error, in exa- 

 mining an aviary kept by some gentleman in Baltimore, and I acknow- 

 ledge myself indebted to him for the hint which induced me to refer 

 to the long neglected notes I had made on this species. 



Icterus spurius, Orchard Oriole. This sprightly species was for 

 several years preserved in an aviary, where I employed my leisure 

 moments in studying the habits of this beautiful race. There, among 

 various others of the feathered tribe, it built its pensile nest, and reared 

 annually two broods of young. Its curious gestures, its varied and 

 often melodious notes, as well as its continually varying colours, ren- 

 dered it one of the most interesting and admired species. The young 

 were yellow on the under surface, and the males could scarcely be 

 distinguished from the females. They moulted in autumn, the last 

 brood not until January, being two months later than the first. There 

 was no perceptible change in colour for two w^eeks, when the birds of 

 the first brood assumed the black patch under the throat ; the later 

 birds still remained yellow in those parts. They retained these co- 

 lours during spring, whilst they w^ere engaged in the cares and duties 

 of reproduction. The moulting season now commenced in August, 

 when the elder males became mottled on the back with irregular 

 streaks, and the younger assumed the black patch under the throat. 

 In the month of January the first assumed the bright chestnut colour 

 on the breast, and were in full plumage, and the others but one stage 

 removed from it ; thus passing through all their variations of colour to 

 their full plumage in less than two years. Our naturalists have ex- 

 tended the time to four years; a pretty long time to be concealed under 

 a mask. 



Fringilla coerulea, Blue Grosbeak. A pair of young birds of this 

 species was taken from the nest in May 1836, and raised by a friend, 

 who since presented them to me. They were then of an humble drab 

 colour, and commenced moulting about the beginning of December. 

 The female died in the moult. The new feathers in the male came 



