22 
The Natural History of British Ducks 
splendid chestnut-brown which is afterwards one of the chief glories of the 
drake's winter dress. This change takes place at first very slowly, but in 
September its progress is more rapid, synchronising with the change of the 
spotted feathers all down the breast, which gradually lose their spots and 
change to the grey ones of the full winter dress. 
The feathers on the back also change from their autumn to their winter 
dress, and this more suddenly than those on the breast ; and it is not at all 
uncommon, about the end of August or beginning of September, to see the 
full winter feathers coming in, in full colour, and without any pretence at 
compromise. Pure grey feathers begin to appear amongst the brown ones, 
and, from the lower back to the tail, jet black ones, whose outer edge is only 
faintly marked with brown, come in, in full colour. The raggedness of these 
new winter feathers is often remarkable. 
And so the change goes on by regular steps from August 12 to Septem- 
ber 30, when the whole process is completed. 
The further the season advances the nearer perfection are the new feathers 
that come in, and as the whole plumage approaches its full completion there 
is but little colour-change taking place, except in the tail and long scapulars 
and tail coverts. Such brilliance of colour as is now added is formed by the 
accession of a large number of new, perfectly full, and brilliant feathers — a 
change that is most noticeable in the flanks, head and neck, from which all 
the new spotted feathers which came in fresh on July 6 are now shed. 
Thus we learn the important fact that, whilst much of the plumage 
(notably the back, tail, long scapulars, parts of vent and breasts) has for the 
most part undergone only one actual change of feather in the great change from 
the full spring plumage (still retained on June 15) to the new pure coloured 
winter plumage of October i, yet the head, neck, back, and upper chest 
and breast have, between July i and October i, undergone two actual moults, 
the casting of the feathers taking place respectively about July i and 
September 25. A curious point is, how the drake gets his curly tail, for the 
new sets of long feathers covering the top of the tail, which came in fresh 
