206 TRINGA CINCLUS. 



twelfths in breadth; intestine thirteen inches long, from 

 two-and-a-half-twelfths to one-twelfth in width ; cceca an 

 inch and seven-twelfths long. 



Length to end of tail 8 inches ; extent of wings 14 j^J- ; 

 bill along the ridge 1-f^, along the edge of lower mandible 

 ljV ; wing from flexure 4-^- ; tail 2-fa ; tarsus 1 ; first toe T V, 

 its claw a half-twelfth ; second toe ^-, its claw -fa ; third toe 

 -14, its claw fa ; fourth toe fa, its claw -fa. Eye -fa ; ear fa. 



Variations. — Individuals vary considerably in size ; 

 males being from seven to eight inches in length, and from 

 fourteen to fifteen in extent of wing ; females from seven 

 and a half to eight and a half inches in length, and from 

 thirteen and a half to fifteen in extent of wing. The bill 

 varies greatly in length, measuring in some individuals an 

 inch and one-twelfth, in others an inch and four-twelfths. 

 Individuals vary also in the tints of their plumage, some 

 being more grey than others, and the markings of the fore- 

 neck and sides being more or less decided. 



Changes of Plumage. — The moult is generally com- 

 pleted by the middle of November, when the birds present 

 the appearance indicated above. The quills and tail-feathers 

 are not renewed until the next annual moult, but the other 

 feathers are changed in spring and summer. By the middle 

 of May the appearance is as follows. 



Male in Summer. — The bill and feet are as in winter. 

 The quills, tail-feathers, and coverts are also the same. The 

 upper part of the head is variegated with brownish-black 

 and yellowish-red, the margins of the feathers being of the 

 latter colour. The feathers of the back and the scapulars 

 are similarly marked, the latter barred on the edges. A very 

 small part of the throat is white ; the sides of the head and 

 neck, the fore part of the latter, and the nape greyish-white, 

 more strongly marked with blackish-brown than in winter ; 

 the feathers then being white, with a large brownish-black 

 spot toAvard the end, their edges fringed with Avhite ; the 

 breast black, or variegated with white and black ; rest of the 

 lower parts white. 



