THE BIRDS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 415 



absolutely full breediug plumage, though nearly so. A lew well-worn feathers of the 

 preceding winter plumage are still to be found among the feathers of the wiug coverts 

 and among the tertials and long scapular j)lumes. In some cases each alternate 

 feather of the tertials is an uncolored worn and a new highly colored oue respectively, 

 while sometimes either predominates. In fact few individuals of either morinella or 

 interj)res ever attain a comjilete breeding (jisychological) plumage, though in the 

 latter the change seems to be the more complete, especially in Japanese specimens. 



In interpres the contrast of dark color and chestnut on the scapulars and tertials is 

 nearly always sharp ; in morinella it is nearly always blended. The first is mostly 

 black, the latter mostly clove brown. Fully one-half of the specimens of morinella 

 show an absence of black at the junction of the black eye and bill stripes; in some, 

 except a little black at the base of the bill, the forehead is entirely white; in others 

 partly white feathers obscure the black at their bases, so that few specimens show 

 the decided black lines common in interpres. The feet and legs of morinella lack the 

 rich, deep, orange red or vermilion color of interpres. They are orange red in color, 

 but pale in contrast to the deeper and highly colored interpres. 



The female morinella from Smiths Island, Virginia, as contrasted with the males 

 from the same place, collected in the same month, show an interesting condition. 

 Whereas in the males nearly the whole of the body plumage is new and nnworn, thus 

 indicating a recent molt; in the females the reverse is generally true. On these the 

 new feathers are confined to the under parts and to but a slight extent on the upper 

 parts. The strengthening of the contrast of the black and white on the sides of the 

 head and neck seems to be due almost entirely to wearing, but it seems probable at 

 least that the Avhite of the uuderbody, on account of the slightly unworn condition, 

 may be due to a recent molt. Scattered about the back and in the tertials on some 

 specimens are unworn feathers, in ones and twos, which are somewhat chestnut 

 colored and are usually tipped Avith a little white. Surrounding them are grayer 

 feathers most decidedly worn at the tips and sides. This contrast of wearing and 

 color is so positive, that one can not do otherwise than believe that the abundant worn 

 feathers are really the wintering plumage, while the unworn and much fewer are an 

 effort toward a summer breediug plumage. There is no regularity whatever as to the 

 position of these new feathers. 'No two specimens are alike and hardly a dozen 

 occur on some; on others, fewer. Another explanation of the presence of these unworn 

 feathers may be mentioned. The autumnal molt of the adult turnstones takes place 

 after they have reached their winter habitat. It is possible that the feathers mentioned 

 above may be the last grown, possibly appearing just before the bird leaves for its 

 journey northward. A spiecimen taken on Smiths Island, August 24, 1895, No. 4072, 

 W. P. collection, is an adult female in a very much worn condition with no new 

 feathering; but among the tertials of the right wing there are two sets of feathers, 

 the plain feathers of the previous winter's i^lumage and others darker and deeply 

 indented with the originally chestnut colored parts similar to the same feathers of the 

 male. Thus a comparison of these birds leads inevitably to the conclusion that the 

 amount of spring plumage change is different in the sexes; nearly complete in 

 the males, but slight and varying in the females, though rarely nearly complete. 

 Thus the change is not a physiological or a necessary one, but is traceable to the 

 superabundant sexual energy of the males and perhaps also of the older females. No 

 molting feathers are to be found on any of these specimens, so that the case is a 



