OCR Text |
Show 248 MR. J. T. CUNNINGHAM ON [Mar. 17, 1 ft. 2-| in. long: had almost entirely ceased to grow, but had not been pulled out: it was a little over 2 feet long. Posterior Covert pulled out February 17th, 1902, when it was about 2 feet long. Now still growing, and about 2 ft. 6 in. long. Central Rectrix: predecessor pulled out while growing on .April 13th, when 2 ft. 9 in. long: was still in full growth, and about 2 ft. 6 in. long. Left side of Tail. Central Rectrix: predecessor pulled out while growing on February 15th, when 2 ft. 4^ in. long: was accidentally broken off on October 29th, but continued to grow from the base, and the basal portion is now about 7 inches long. The total length of the feather, if it had not been broken, would have been 3 ft. 0-J- in. 1st Anterior Covert. : predecessor pulled out growing on March 10th, when 1 ft. 9J in. long: accidentally pulled out growing on December 9th, when 2 feet long. Its successor immediately sprouted again, and was just showing. There were thus in Cock B only three feathers left of the eight which had begun to grow before the moulting-season. The two longest of these were about 2 ft. 6 in. long, while the third was shorter and had ceased growing. . The other feathers which began to grow after the moult were on the whole longer than the feathers in Cock A ; and the difference between the tails in the two birds, the one artificially treated and the other left to nature, was sufficiently striking. S um m ar y an d C o nc lu s io ns . These observations extended only to the 2nd moult, or the first shedding of the adult plumage. They show that when the feathers are not pulled or artificially treated in any way, care being taken to protect them and prevent them from being accidentally pulled out, the growth continues till about the end of March, when it ceases, the quills of the feathers are formed in the normal way and the feathers are moulted normally in the following autumn. On the other hand, when the feathers are pulled out in the spring, successors immediately sprout in their places, continue to grow till the following season, when they go on growing without moulting, except in some cases when growth may come to an end in the moulting-season. In the cock whose feathers were stimulated by pulling, growth did not go on at a more rapid rate, but continued for a longer time and produced a longer feather. Thus in Cock A, no growth took place after April 1st, and the maximum length was 2 ft. 44 in.; while in Cock B, growth continued till July 13th, and the maximum length was 2 ft. 9| in. |