Page:Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, Volume 12.djvu/39

Rh and toes dull orange. These parts have changed but little, and perhaps are rather brighter in colour than at first.

Indisposition having prevented my seeing the bird since the last-mentioned period till the middle of March, I was much surprised to find the appearance of a few feathers on the upper part of the back, that were dusky, resplendent with violet and purple, having a margin of dark glossy green. These elegant feathers continued to increase in number, till the whole upper part of the back had nearly assumed this beautiful plumage by the first of April. At this time no other part of the bird indicated any further change of plumage: the scapulars and coverts, many of which had recently changed, continued of the same colour as last described, without the purple reflections or marginal green. It is scarcely possible to account for such a succession of change in plumage in so short a time, except by supposing that a change in the constitution of the bird, produced by captivity and a want of natural food, had caused obstruction to the usual course of moulting, and that the autumnal change had been retarded, and was scarcely effected before the spring moulting commenced. The bill at this season has also become more orange.

Rh