GREAT KNOT. 
exposed culmen being 14.2 mm. and 15.5 ; length of tarsus 25.9 and 28.1, the 
upper coloration presented a mottling of greyish-white, tawny and black-brown. 
Nestling. The under-side, on the whole, is greyish-white. The fore-head, 
cheeks and chin are greyish-white with irregular blackish-streaks and small 
spots. One single streak runs from the culmen to the crown ; another from 
each side of the upper mandible to the eye ; and yet lower down a streak runs 
from the lower mandible to the cheeks. The spaces around the eyes are silvery- 
white. The crown is of a tawny colour with irregular, as to outline, but 
symmetrically distributed black spots and streaks ; the white tip of each indi¬ 
vidual down is more developed, the nearer it is situated to the occiput, which, 
together with the neck, is of a lighter colour. On the neck, and the occiput, 
there is no tawny colour at all, but the dark spots become greyish-brown and 
diluted. The back is black ; on its upper part are two short, rusty streaks ; over 
the tibia irregular brownish-ochraceous streaks ; the entire back is covered 
with tiny white spots situated on the tips of the down, especially on the posterior 
part, close to the uropj^gial tuft, as well as on the space over the tibia ; shoulders 
and fore-wing spotted with a mixture of blackish, tawny and v r hitish spots. 
The outside of the carpus is greyish-white with a big blackish spot; on the 
posterior part of the cheeks there are irregular dark spots ; the dark bases of the 
down show clearly through on the breast, which is greyish-white ; the under¬ 
surface of the wing is silvery-white with a dusky spot; abdomen pure white ; 
the hair-like tips of the white down on the breast, neck and chin, the fore-head, 
wings and tibia are of a dark-brownish colour ; these dark hair-like tips of the 
wiiite down and the white tips of the dark down conceal the impression of a 
flat surface. 
It may be gathered from the above that the coloration of the young is a 
very variegated one and closely simulates the general coloration of the environ¬ 
ment in which they are found. In this they are aided, not merely by the 
unusual pattern of the design, but also by the above-mentioned misleading 
impression of different depths, given by various parts of their covering. 
The young of the first brood w r ere more mature. The exposed bills measured 
19.8 to 20.9 mm., the tarsus 28.8 to 36.7. The shafts of the feathers in some 
places were grown.; they show'ed through on the back, on the outer side of the 
wings, on the breast and abdomen. The shafts of the outer quills measured 
22 mm., the ends of the feathers protruding from the covers. The scapulars 
protrude 12 to 13 mm. The down w r as on the tips of the feathers. This down is 
considerably lighter and somewhat faded, due probably to the long polar day. 
The blackish-brown and tawny of the other brood, as in this one, faded to a light 
brown and rusty yellow. It is curious that the sprouting scapulars have the 
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