Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 4 (1900).djvu/55

Rh colour, but the radii considerably darker; the rami on the bluish part appear bright and of a whitish colour, while the radii are clear and apparently colourless.

Lastly, we may briefly consider the order in which the feathers come on the nestling. The first feathers show themselves when the bird is about three days old, and are those which immediately surround the ear, about six in number on each side. Next come the two ventral tracts, beginning at their lower end and gradually stretching up the neck. These are followed by the scapulars and tracts over the thighs, which in turn are almost immediately followed by the dorsal tract. This tract arises simultaneously over the greater part of its length, and then spreads both upwards and downwards. The remainder of the small feathers on the head, legs, and vent are the next to grow, and finally, after a short interval, the primaries, secondaries, and tail quills, followed by their coverts.

The young birds are able to fly about seven weeks after hatching; they are similar in plumage to the female, but the brown edgings to the feathers of the back are much broader; they do not moult till the following February, when they assume the adult dress in a similar manner to their parents.