266 
Allen’s naturalist’s library. 
turn white in wintei, such protective plumai^e being unnecessary 
in the localities it inhabits, the winter moult has been gradually 
dropped. Now this is the case with the female only, and we 
find the male, for no apparent reason, changing his newly 
acquired buff and black autumn plumage for a winter one of 
chestnut and black. Further investigations may lead to some 
explanation of this strange anomaly, but at present we know of 
none. 
“Adult Male, Autumn Plumage. — After the breeding season a 
very complete autumn moult takes place, the quills, tail, and 
feathers on the feet being entirely renewed. In most examples 
the feathers of the upper parts are black, margined, and irregu- 
larly baried wuth tawny-buff, and in most cases the bars cross 
tlie feathers more or less transversely (pi. ii. fig. 4), but in some 
they are more or less concentric and parallel with the marginal 
band, giving the upper parts a scaled appearance (pi. ii. 
figs. 6 and 7). The feathers of the chest are rather widely 
barred with buff or rufous-buff and black (pi. ii. fig. n), and 
some of the flank-feathers are more narrowly barred with the 
same colours. The rest of the under parts vary according to 
the type to which the individual belongs, being chestnut, black, 
or white-spotted, or a mixture of all three. In a bird shot on 
the 6th of June, the autumn moult having commenced on the 
upper mantle, three different sets of feathers can be seen on the 
back at once, belonging to the new autumn, the old winter, and 
the old autumn plumages, both the latter very clearly showing 
the result of wear and tear (pi. ii. figs. 1-3). 
“ The males at this season, no matter to what type they belong, 
bear a much closer resemblance to one another than they do 
in their winter plumage, only the under parts of the body 
differing conspicuously. 
“The first feathers of the winter plumage begin to appear 
about the beginning of September. 
“Adult Male, Winter-Summer Plumage. — General colour above 
black, _ with finely of mottled bars of dark chestnut 
(pi. ii. fig. 5); head, neck, and chest (pi. ii. fig. 12) 
mostly dark chestnut, finely marked with black; and the flanks 
mottled and barred with the same colours, the chestnut usually 
predominating. Generally a greater or less number of autumn 
