RED OR GREY PHALAROPE. 
down the centre of the back and a similar stripe down each side of it; there 
is also a large, well-defined black patch on each side of the rump above the 
thigh. 
“hi fresh juvenal plumage, in August, the feathers of the crown, mantle 
and scapulars are black, broadly edged with ‘ ochraceous-tawny ’ ; the 
tertials, median -wing-coverts, upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers are narrowly 
edged -with paler shades of buff ; the lesser wing-coverts are narrowly edged 
with white ; the fore-head, lores, neck all around, upper breast and flanks 
are suffused with greyish-brown, varying from ‘ fawn-colour ’ or ‘ wood-brown ’ 
on the throat, neck and breast to ‘ vinaceous-buff ’ on the head and flanks ; 
the rest of the under-parts are pure white. The sexes are alike in juvenal and 
winter plumages. 
“ The tawny edgings of the upper plumage soon fade and wear away before 
the post-juvenal moult begins during August. I have seen birds in full juvenal 
plumage as late as September 15th ; the moult is usually not completed until 
late in October, but I have seen it -veil advanced by the middle of August. 
This moult includes nearly all of the contour plumage, but not the wings and 
tail, so that first winter birds can be distinguished from adults by the juvenal 
wing-coverts and tail. 
“ The first pre-nuptial moult occurs mainly in April and May; it is sometimes 
completed by the last -week in May, but more often not until early June ; I have 
seen the full first-winter plumage retained until May 21st. This moult involves 
the entire contour plumage, some wing-coverts and the tail; so that young 
birds in first nuptial plumage closely resemble adults and can be distinguished 
only by the presence of some old juvenal wing-coverts. The sexes are quite 
unlike in this plumage and are probably ready to breed. Certain females, in 
which the black crown and white cheek patches are obscured with buff and 
rufous tints, but are otherwise in full plumage, are perhaps young birds. 
“ At the following moult, the first post-nuptial, the adult winter plumage 
is acquired, characterised by the bluish-grey mantle and the white under-parts. 
Tins moult is complete ; it begins in July and is sometimes completed in August, 
but more often it is prolonged into September or later. Adults have a partial 
moult in the spring, from March to May, involving the contour feathers, the 
tail, some of the tertials, and some of the wing-coverts ; the remiges are not 
moulted and some of the old scapulars are retained. The adult post-nuptial 
moult, from July to December, is complete. 
“ Some twenty analyses of stomachs proved that the Phalaropes in the 
breeding-season chiefly feed on small insects, principally gnats and larvae of these 
The oesophagus and stomachs of several birds killed were filled wdth larvae of gnats, 
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