Golden-Eye 
83 
the young male begins to assume its first full winter plumage, which it is very slow in 
getting. Even so late as the following January many young males have not shed the last 
of their eclipse scapulars, which are still brownish grey, edged with white instead of being 
pure white, nor is the head usually complete at this stage, being still half full of the old 
eclipse brownish feathers. Nevertheless many forward young birds are quite complete by 
January, that is to say, at twenty months. A young male which I wounded and captured 
in December 1890 lived on a pond at Fort George for two years, and assumed its complete 
adult plumage at twenty months (from birth). Its passage of plumage was similar to that of 
wild birds. A gunner on the Tay above Perth wounded in 1889 a young male Golden-Eye 
in first plumage. This bird made its home beside the island below the Bridgend Bridge, 
where I observed it with glasses whenever I visited Perth during the three following years, 
when it disappeared. Its passage of plumage was also similar to those above described, 
except that it was later in arriving at maturity, not assuming the full dress until 
April 1 89 1. 
Adult Male. — Head and upper neck glossy black, reflecting green and purple lights on 
the cheeks and crown respectively ; the feathers on the top of the head may be said to form 
a short thick crest ; below and in front of the eye is a roundish white patch ; lower neck, 
wing-coverts, breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts white ; flank feathers white with broad 
lines of black ; back and upper tail-coverts black ; primaries brownish black ; scapulars 
black and white ; tail brownish black. Late in July or early in August the adult male 
assumes an eclipse, or to speak more correctly a semi-eclipse plumage, the centre scapulars, 
back, tail-coverts, tail, breast, abdomen, and wings undergo no change, but moult only once, 
and that directly into full winter plumage. But in August and September the head and 
neck become brown as in the young male, only remaining black round and in front of the 
eyes. The white patch below and in front of the eyes more or less disappears, becoming 
black, sprinkled with a few white feathers. The sides of the lower neck adjoining the 
mantle become brownish grey ; scapulars brownish grey edged with white, like young male ; 
a large number of brownish grey feathers also come into the flanks, which eclipse feathers are 
again shed in late September. A bird now before me, killed in late September, is moulting 
all its eclipse feathers on the flanks, but not yet on the head or scapulars. 
Adult male Golden-Eyes vary greatly in the rapidity or slowness with which they 
assume the full winter plumage. I have seen an old male in full plumage in the middle of 
October, and others which had not attained the full dress by the middle of December.^ In 
this they are not so dilatory as the Shoveller or the Garganay, which do not generally 
assume the full dress until March. Yet they may be said to be slow in comparison with 
many other species. Beak, bluish black ; feet, yellow ; webs, dull black ; irides, bright 
golden yellow. Total length, 18 to 20 inches; wing, 8.25 inches; beak, 1.4 inch; tarsus, 
1.5 inch ; tail, 4.5 inch. Males vary greatly in weight from 2 lb. to 2^ lb. 
Immature Female. — Head, as far as the neck, brown ; at first the neck bluish grey, 
with whitish grey or white edgings ; sides of the neck, as far as the mantle and shoulders, 
brownish grey with light edges ; scapulars and mantle blackish brown with grey edges to 
the feathers ; back, black ; tail, brown ; wing-coverts, black ; flanks, brownish black with 
light grey edges ; chest and under parts, white ; thighs and vent, brownish grey ; under tail- 
^ An adult male in the possession of Mr. St. Quintin attained full winter plumage on December 14th, two years in succession. 
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