BIRDS OF IVIGTUT. 33 



are of a much lighter color and display more yellow, — not, 

 indeed, that the feathers are of a uniform yellow on the 

 back, but they are variegated with lighter and darker streaks 

 of yellowish-brown. The greater coverts form a broader, 

 the lesser coverts a narrower flaxen-colored stripe. The 

 wing-feathers are light-colored on the edges ; the sides of 

 the body speckled brown ; the under side a light yellowish- 

 gray ; the throat-fleck blackish ; the crown bronze. This 

 was the plumage of ten old birds, which I caught either in 

 full summer garb, or immediately after the moulting had 

 begun. 



One bright-colored male, which I cauglit on the 16th of 

 July, had already begun to moult on the crown; only a 

 third part of it remained red, while the rest was of a bronze 

 color. The moulting was so slow that in November it had 

 still some red left in its crown, and the only thing it had 

 yet obtained of the autumn dress was the light-colored 

 stripes on the wings, and on some of its flight feathers; but 

 it still retained its dark color on the breast. Its dress looked, 

 however, somewhat worn and faded, compared with the colors 

 of its companions. When caught, it seemed as if a portion 

 of the bill was about to fall off ; for it was partly covered 

 with a rough horny mass of a darker color. After a couple 

 of days this horny mass had disappeared, but I could not 

 find it in the cage. The bill was then somewhat lighter 

 colored, and somewhat weaker than the bills of the other 

 Redpolls ; it was hardly strong enough to break a hemp 

 seed. This circumstance, as well as the slow moulting, in- 

 dicates perhaps that the bird was sick, although it seemed 

 in other respects quite as lively as the rest. 



Another pretty red-breasted male, caught on June 20, 

 moulted in July, and obtained the usual autumn dresg with 

 its yellow crown. Just after the young birds have left their 



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