fLUMAGE OP YOUNG BIRDS. 91 



the autumn. The Maryland yellow-throat does not 

 deign to wear his black mask until he is about eight 

 months old, and the boy redstart contents himself 

 with his mamma's style of dress until he returns in 

 the spring from his sojourn in the south, and does 

 not seem to be ashamed to be tied to her apron- 

 string. And there is that natty little dandy, the 

 ruby-crowned kinglet — it is said, on good authority, 

 that he must be two years old before he is entitled 

 to wear the ruby gem in his forehead ; which must 

 be a sore deprivation for this little aristocrat in 

 feathers. Perhaps in kingletdom a bird does not 

 become of age until he is two years old. 



Thus it will be seen that the study of ornithology 

 is made more difficult, and at the same time more 

 interesting, by this change of toilet among the birds, — 

 more difficult, because the observer must learn to 

 identify the birds in their youthful as well as in their 

 adult plumage ; and more interesting, because of 

 the greater variety thus given to this branch of 

 scientific inquiry. 



