. British birds. Birds. LETM5 NOTES OX THE MOULTS AXD SEQUENCE OF IN SOME BRITISH DUCKS. To the Editorfs oi Buitisii Btrds. Sirs,—Mr. Sinalley's important contribution to the above subject ill the November number of British Birds (antca, p. 137-41) has deeply interested me. I am glad that on the whole Mr. Smalley agrees with my statements on the moults of the ducks, and I hope in the following remarks to dispose of our apparent differences o\-er certain details, which I will discuss in th(^ order mentioned by Mr. Smallej in his paper. In the first place, the author points out my omis
. British birds. Birds. LETM5 NOTES OX THE MOULTS AXD SEQUENCE OF IN SOME BRITISH DUCKS. To the Editorfs oi Buitisii Btrds. Sirs,—Mr. Sinalley's important contribution to the above subject ill the November number of British Birds (antca, p. 137-41) has deeply interested me. I am glad that on the whole Mr. Smalley agrees with my statements on the moults of the ducks, and I hope in the following remarks to dispose of our apparent differences o\-er certain details, which I will discuss in th(^ order mentioned by Mr. Smallej in his paper. In the first place, the author points out my omission of any mention of an " intermediate " plumage in the adult male Shoveler and of the assumption of an eclipse plumage by the females of certain species of ducks. Firstly, with regard to the Shoveler, I have not liad the opportunity of examining any males in full eclipse and am therefore not in a position to make any statement as to the " intermediate " plumage in the adult, but T am of opinion that in most cases an " inter- mediate " plumage is assumed by the juvenile male before a plumage resembling that of the adult is acquired, but this point I'equires further investigation. Absence of material must again be my plea in failing to recognise the assumption of an eclipse plumage bj" the females of certain species ; in the collections at my disposal, females in full wing and body moult in late summer and autumn were practically absent. I am much interested to learn that an ecUpse is assumed and only wish Mr. Smalley had given some details about this important discovery. My remarks on the nestlings of the surface-feeding ducks have, I think, been interpreted too literally by Mr. Smalley. They were only intended in a general sense, nor did I mean to imply that the nestlings of the different species were indistingui-shable. I only wished to point out that, in my opinion, the iniderlying tj'pe of coloiu' pattern scheme was the same throughout
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