Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 4 (1900).djvu/404

370 thirteen days (Zool., 1846, p. 1497), and Tidemann fourteen. None of the small birds appear to exceed a fortnight, but in such a distinct form as Panurus there might be a difference of a day or two.

I can testify to its being a fact that the cock bird occasionally takes part in incubation, though this has been doubted by Keulemans, who had in confinement the beautiful examples figured in Dresser's 'Birds of Europe,' and probably ascertained from them that the duration of the moult was nearly five weeks. His excellent account of its habits as a cage bird and in a wild state in Holland is given in the 'Birds of Europe,' and again in Keuleman's 'Cage Birds,' an uncompleted work, and therefore but little known.

The adult male and female are almost too well known to need description. The prevailing colour is tawny orange, and in the cock the head is blue grey, with a black moustache on each cheek, long and pointed, with no apparent utility other than ornament. These beautiful colours are at their best from December to April 1st, after which they deteriorate. Females are never so handsome as males, and always lack the grey head, which is so beautiful: excellent descriptions are given in the 'Birds of Europe' from specimens which I supplied of both sexes. But the plumage of immaturity is far more remarkable.

For a long time after quitting the nest the young have black backs, and are cream-coloured, so that if Bonaparte gave his name of P. sibiricus to a young bird it was a very excusable mistake. Radde was nearly led into the same error ('Ibis,' 1889, p. 87).

It is said that young males can be distinguished by their more lemon-coloured bills. The nestling when only a day old has a brighter mouth than any other nestling bird in England, for the palate is red, with four little rows of black and white dots. Mr. Lodge tried to photograph a brood with their mouths open, but it was a failure, and my sketch is not sufficiently accurate for reproduction, indeed, it would be exceedingly difficult to give the vivid colours properly. The colour of young birds'