BRITISH BIRDS' XESTS. 283 



and passes over the eye and ear-coverts, and onward 

 to the back of the head ; a second commences m 

 the front corner of the eye, passes under it, and 

 ends behind the ear-coverts. All the feathers 

 between these two lines are of a rich glossy green ; 

 back of lower part of neck, scapulars, and upper 

 part of back, waved or barred with narrow transverse 

 black and white lines ; lower part of back shaded 

 with dark brown ; wings dark brown, beautifully 

 barred with a patch of glossy green and a line of 

 wdiite ; upper tail-coverts nearly black, edged with 

 reddish-brow^n ; tail feathers pointed and brown ; 

 lower half of neck, in front, pale purplish-white, 

 spotted with black ; breast and belly dusky wdiite ; 

 sides and flanks barred with fine wavy lines of 

 black and wdiite ; under tail-coverts velvet black ; 

 legs, toes, and webs greyish-brown. 



The female is much subdued in coloration ; her 

 head is light browai, speckled with a darker tint 

 of the same colour ; the green spangle on the wing 

 is velvety black ; back dark brown, the feathers 

 being edged w^ith a lighter tinge of the same colour ; 

 breast and under parts dull wdiite, spotted with 

 dark brown. The male assumes female plumage 

 about the end of July. 



Situafioi and Locality. — On the ground amongst 

 rushes, sedges, heath, and coarse grass, near lakes 

 and small sluggish streams, in mountain sw^amps, 

 by pools and tarns, and in moss bogs. In nearly 

 all suitable districts throughout the British Isles, 

 perhaps scarcest in the south. Our illustration 

 was procured near a famous mere in Norfolk. 



Materials. — Dried sedges, flags, rushes, reeds, and 

 grass, lined with down from the bird's own body. 



Eggs. — Eight to fifteen, usually nine or ten ; 

 huffish or creamy white, sometimes very faintly 



