Our moulting season, like that of the fowls, must be a crisis in our lives.
In one of the most esteemed varieties, the wing and tail feathers are at first black - a peculiarity, however, which disappears after the first moulting.
But the evidence is not conclusive as to whether any part of the winter condition is additionally produced by moulting.
The white ruff on the neck, and the similarly coloured feathers of the wing, do not appear until the completion of the first moulting.
It also uses the burrow as a safe retreat during moulting and guards its cocoon and young in its depths.