Undescribftd First Plumages, Brewster 
109. Dolichonyx oryzivorus. 
First plumage. Top and sides of liead, with the neck behind, buffy-cin- 
namon. A post-ocular stripe and two lateral ones on the crown dark- 
brown ; a few of the feathers with lighter edgings. Rest of upper parts, 
including the tips of the wing-coverts and the outer margins of the prima- 
ries and secondaries, brownish-yellow. All the feathers of the interscapular 
region with broad dark-brown centres. Under parts warm reddish-buff, 
deepest on breast and throat. A band of faint dusky spots across the 
breast, and a few nearly obsolete streaks along the sides. Prom a speci- 
men in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, collected by Mr. C. J. May- 
nard, at Newtonville, Mass., Juno 2G, 1878. The autumnal plumage of 
this species seems to be very early acquired. 
Bull N.O.O. 4, Jan. ,1879, -p. 
ON THE CHANGES OF PLUMAGE IN THE BOBO- 
LINK ( DOLICHONYX ORYZIVORUS). 
BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN. 
The marked seasonal changes which occur in the plumage of 
the Bobolink have ever been made a prominent fact in the life- 
history of this well-known bird, but I am not aware that the sub- 
ject has been studied with a complete series of specimens repre- 
senting each stage of the bird’s plumage as it appears throughout 
its range. P’or this reason, perhaps, we may account for the 
generally accepted statement, that the change in the male from 
the female-like plumage of winter to the black and yellow cos- 
tume of spring, occurs without loss of feathers but by a change 
be distinguished from birds of the year. 
In calling attention now to the main object of this paper, the 
costumes of the male bird, without at this moment dwelling on 
his appearance in full nuptial dress, we will first consider the 
change which follows the close of the breeding season. The 
bird now undergoes a complete moult, losing his entire plumage 
even to remiges and rectrices, and acquiring a new dress which at 
first glance is very similar to that of the bird of the year. Closer 
examination, however, shows well-marked differences. In the 
adult bird the feathers of the crown, particularly those Ol the 
median line, have larger black areas and are Ipss regularly bor- 
dered with brownish ; the secondaries are not terminated with a 
narrow edging of white, and the tertials lack the whitish bordei 
which is generally seen on those of the young bird. On the 
sides and flanks the markings are somewhat heavier but resemble 
those of the young bird, while the black basal areas on the 
feathers of the throat and breast are larger and more numerous, 
in some cases occupying the basal three fourths of the feather, 
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