PIED SMEW. 239 



The throat, sides of the head, and upper anterior and lateral 

 parts of the neck, jnire white. The alula, primary coverts, 

 and primary quills are dark greyish-brown ; the secondary 

 quills greyish-black, as are their coverts, both having the 

 tips pure white, forming two bands across the wing. The 

 lower part of the neck is ash-grey, faintly spotted with 

 dusky; the sides, abdomen, and lower tail-coverts similar; 

 the breast silvery-white. 



Length to end of tail 15| inches ; extent of Avings 23| ; 

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

 1^ ; wing from flexure 7 ; tail 2f ; tarsus 1^ ; first toe 

 -j%, its claw -j^ ; second toe l-^^, its claw -^ ; third toe l-L^, 

 its claw -fV; fourth toe 1-/^, its claw ^. 



Progress toward Maturity. — After the second autumnal 

 moult, the males, according to M. Tcmminck, " are distin- 

 guished by small blackish feathers, Avhich form the large 

 spot at the lateral part of the bill ; by some whitish and 

 white feathers dispersed over the head and nape ; by the 

 part of the anterior back which is variegated with black and 

 grey feathers ; and by the indications of the two black cres- 

 cents on the sides of the breast. The young of both sexes 

 have the large wing-coverts terminated by a large white 

 space, while the old have white only at their tips." I have 

 before me a specimen from Holland passing from this to the 

 adult state, having nothing remaining but the reddish-brown 

 feathers of the head and hind-neck, which are variegated 

 with white ; but the smaller wing-coverts are only partially 

 white, most of them being ash-grey, and the feathers of the 

 black spot on the cheeks are very slightly edged with 

 whitish. It^s not until its third autumn, therefore, that 

 the male acquires its full plumage. 



Whether the male changes his colours in summer I have 

 not learned. 



Remarks. — The description of the male above given is 

 from a specimen, obtained fresh on the 2nd of February, 

 1841, compared Avith others ; that of the female from a skin 

 in perfect plumage. The young birds which T have had 

 opportunities of examining were in the proportion of five 

 to one adult. 



