53. EMBERIZA. 507 



dark brown, broadly edged witb pale isabeiline-brown, white on the 

 median coverts ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and primaries dark 

 brown, narrowly edged with isabelline ; upper tail-coverts and tail 

 dark brown, the former washed with yellow ; the tail-feathers 

 edged with isabelline-brown on both webs, whiter along the margin 

 of the outer feather, which has a paler shade of brown down the 

 middle ; crown of head golden orange ; the lores, feathers round 

 the eye, ear-coverts, cheeks, and fore neck chestnutor bay ; sides of 

 neck yellow, washed with chestnut ; rest of under surface of body 

 bright yellow, tinged with chestnut on the vent ; under wing- 

 coverts, axillaries, and edge of wing also yellow ; quills light brown 

 below, ashy along the edge of the inner web : >' bill bluish grey, 

 dusky on the tip of the upper mandible ; feet fleshy brown, darker 

 on the toes ; iris brown " (A. 0. Hume). Total length 6-5 inches, 

 culmen 055, wing 3 - 55, tail 2-85, tarsus - 85. 



The adult male in winter plumage is much duller than the summer 

 plumage by reason of the ashy shade of brown which obscures the 

 whole of the upper surface, including even the yellow rump ; the 

 chestnut head and throat are also overshaded with ashy, all the 

 feathers being tipped with this colour; the whole of the yellow 

 under surface of the body also washed over with ashy : " upper man- 

 dible greyish brown, darkest on the culmen, lower mandible greenish 

 brown ; legs and feet greyish brown ; iris dark brown " (E. A. 

 Butler). The summer plumage is evidently assumed through the 

 wearing-off of the ashy tips to the feathers. 



Adult female in summer plumage. Different from the male, with 

 hardly any yellow in the plumage. Above light ashy brown, 

 streaked with blackish shaft-markings, the head like the back, the 

 hind neck more uniform ; lower back and rump uniform ashy brown, 

 the latter with a subterminal shade of yellow ; wings and tail as in 

 the male ; lores and feathers round the eye ashy whitish ; ear- 

 coverts pale brown ; cheeks and under surface of the body isabelline 

 or pale sandy grey, with a slight wash of yellow, more pronounced 

 on the abdomen and sides of the breast, and especially distinct on 

 the under tail-coverts. Total length 6-3 inches, culmen 055, wing 

 3-15, tail 2-4, tarsus 075. 



The winter plumage of the adidt female only differs from the 

 summer plumage in being more ruddy or sandy brown, especially 

 on the throat and breast : " bill horny above, bluish fleshy below ; 

 legs and feet brown ; iris dark brown " (E. A. Butler). 



Young in winter plumage. Brown like the adult female, but 

 much more rufescent, and nearly uniform above, only a few half- 

 concealed black streaks being visible on the back ; ear-coverts and 

 sides of face pale rufous-brown, as also the edgings of the wing- 

 coverts and secondaries : under surface of body pale isabelline, the 

 lower throat, breast, and sides of body pale sandy rufous, with a 

 tinge of yellow on the flanks and under tail-coverts. 



Nestling, Browner than the winter plumage described above, 

 more sandy buff, with very broad central black streaks to the dorsal 

 plumage ; the fore neck also minutely spotted with blackish. 



