22. LANirs. 287 



lower back, rump, aud ni^-per tail-coverts bluish grey ; mantle and 

 scapulars chestnut-brown ; the secondary quills aud all the wing- 

 coverts brown, with large chestnut-brown margins ; primaries 

 brown, with very faint lighter margins ; central pair of tail- 

 feathers black, the others piu-e white at the basal half and tipped 

 with white, which colour on the outermost pair occupies the whole 

 outer web ; a narrow frontal band, narrow region round the eye, 

 and the ear-coverts black ; an indistinctly defined whitish super- 

 ciliary stripe ; chin, cheeks, throat, and under tail-coverts pure 

 white ; rest of under surface uniform vinous ; most of the under 

 wing-coverts and edge of wing white ; quills below blackish 

 grey, passing into whitish on the inner margin ; thighs whitish, 

 mottled with blackish grey ; feet black ; bill dark horn-colour or 

 black, or " dark slate, violet at base ;" iris brown. 



As all the specimens from Africa have the greater part of the bill, 

 especially the base and the imdcr mandible, pale horny brown 

 and only the tip of the bill darker, it seems that the colour of this 

 organ changes with the season ; aud in this way the bill is uni- 

 formly dark at the breeding-season, whilst in winter it gets paler. 

 Total length about 7 inches, culmen 0-72, wing 3-65, tail 3-3, 

 tarsus 1. 



Adult female. General colour above dull brownish grey, washed 

 on the head aud mantle with dull chestnut-brown ; scapulars often 

 with subterminal blackish cross bars like the upper tail-coverts ; 

 quills and upper wiug-coverts brown, the latter and the secondaries 

 broadly margined with fulvous or with reddish brown; frontal 

 region, loral space, and region round the eye dull white ; ear-coverts 

 brown ; behind the upper margin of the eye a weU-marked white 

 spot ; throat, abdomen, and under tail-coverts duU white ; rest of 

 underparts dull white, with numerous broad dark-brown zifza"- 

 cross bars ; bUl aud feet horny brown, the former paler at base. 

 Measurements the same as those of the adult male. 



Kestllng. Kufous above, the head, neck, lower back and rump 

 ashy grey, all the upper surface mottled with dusky and whitish 

 bars ; ear-coverts dark brown, with whity-brown shaft-streaks ; 

 throat white; remainder of under surface dull yellowish white, 

 barred across with dusky brown on the breast aud sides of the 

 body. 



Full-grown young bird. Plumage as in the foregoing, the quills 

 broadly edged with rufous ; tail as in the adult, the white edgings 

 to the outer feathers very broad and distinct ; bill and feet pale 

 horny brown. 



In the course of the second or third year the immature birds show 

 every intermediate gradation between the plumages described above. 



Hab. Breeds in Europe and Asia iliuor, wintering in Africa. 



a, h, c. Pull. St. Cambridgeshire. Mr. Baker [C.l. 



d,e. d [ 2 ] ad. st. Cambridsreshire. Mr. Baker [C. |. 



/. Pull. sk. Cambridgeshire. Mr. Baker [C.]. 



ff, h. ^ $ ad. St. Berkshire. Mi-. W. Briggs [P.]. 



i, k. (S $ ad. sk. Berkshire. Gould Collection. 



