t 
The Wigeon 51 
back and head in first plumage feather is sometimes retained right on until 
the following July — that is to say, until the bird is thirteen months old. The 
bird will then obtain his full eclipse plumage (of course, without the wings 
changing) without even having passed at all through the stage of grey with 
red head and yellow cap. An example of this somewhat rare phase is given 
in plate facing page 48. 
Whilst Wigeon are subject to both light and dark forms it is not very 
rare to see amongst the young males a curious spotted type. I have seen a 
good many of these aberrant forms, and have shot two myself, one of which, 
a very richly marked specimen, is figured facing page 46. These birds, 
whose lower parts are spotted from breast to vent, are nearly always young 
males ; when this first plumage is cast they become as other males, and there 
are no traces of the spots left. 
'1 
The Adult Male 
Spring plumage. — Weight i lb. 12 ozs. to 2 lbs.; length 18 to 19 inches; 
wing io'5 inches. Bill, blue-lead colour with black point; legs and toes 
dark brown with lead tinge ; forehead and crown buff ; cheeks and back of 
neck chestnut suffused with green ; throat and upper neck chestnut ; chin 
black ; flanks and mantle vermiculated grey ; shoulder white, followed by a bar 
of black, below which the secondaries have a bright green wing patch edged 
with black, primaries and tail grey-brown ; under and upper tail coverts black. 
As I have dealt somewhat exhaustively with the great summer and 
autumn change in the case of the Mallard, it is not necessary to reiterate 
particulars of these changes in the other surface-feeding ducks, except where 
slight variations take place, for all the surface-feeders alike pass through the 
somewhat complicated changes of single and double moult as well as the 
various colour changes. In the case of the Wigeon, Pintail, Teal, Garganey 
and Shoveler, we do not, however, notice quite such a gradual blending of 
tints as in the Mallard, except in certain minor parts ; for the whole of each 
H 2 
