554 



FRINGILLIDJE. 



The female in the nestling plumage differs from the male in 

 being much less spotted and in being less sandy rufous below. 



The birds remain in the first plumage till the middle or end of 

 August, when they moult into the winter dress. The latter closely 

 resembles the winter plumage of the adults, but is rather more 

 ruddy below, the spots also much more triangular and presenting a 

 somewhat less streaked appearance. 



Adult male in breeding-plumage. General colour above brown, 

 rather more ashy on the mantle and scapulars and especially on the 

 hind neck ; all the feathers mottled with black centres and having 

 paler ashy-fulvous margius ; lower back and rump brown, the black 

 centres to the feathers less distinct ; upper tail-coverts brown, with 

 ashy-fulvous margins and black centres to the feathers ; lesser wing- 

 coverts blackish brown, with ashy-fulvous edges ; greater and median 

 coverts dusky brown, broadly margined with pale sandy rufous, 

 inclining to whity brown near the ends of the inner coverts of both 

 series ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills dark brown, edged 

 with ashy fulvous, the first primary isabelline along the outer web, 

 the inner secondaries sandy rufous externally, whitish at the tips ; 

 tail-feathers brown, edged with ashy fulvous and also fringed with 

 dull ashy white along the edge of the inner web near the tip ; head 

 rather more rufous-brown than the back, the feathers mesially 

 streaked with black ; lores and an ill-defined superciliary stripe 

 ashy white, the latter streaked with black shaft-lines ; ear-coverts 

 reddish brown, streaked with black ; sides of neck ashy white, 

 streaked with small shaft-lines of black ; cheeks and throat dull 

 white, separated from each other by a broad moustachial line of black 

 spots ; the throat with a few small triangular spots of black, 

 larger and more pronounced on the fore neck and breast, which are 

 tinged with pale rufous, especially on the sides of the latter ; centre 

 of breast and abdomen uniform dull ashy white, the sides of the 

 body and flanks browner and distinctly streaked with black ; thighs 

 ashy white ; under tail-coverts pale rufous buff, with dusky 

 blackish centres : axillaries and under wing-coverts light fulvous, 

 with dusky centres to those near the edge of the wing ; quills 

 dusky brown below, pale ashy along the edge of the inner web : 

 bill horn-colour with a slight dash of red, the edge of the upper 

 mandible and the whole of the lower one yellow ; feet pale fleshy 

 brown ; iris dark brown. Total length 7'5 inches, culmen 0*6, 

 wing 3-85, tail 2-75, tarsus 0-95. 



Adult female in breeding-plumage. Similar to the male, but 

 smaller. Total length 6-5 inches, culmen 055, wing 3*45, tail 2-5, 

 tarsus 09. 



During the progress of the breeding-season, the plumage gets 

 duller and very much abraded. The wearing off of the margins of 

 the feathers leaves the upper surface much more uniform, the black 

 stripes being very distinct in consequence ; underneath, the wearing 

 away of tho edges to the feathers of the throat leaves the black 

 spotting very distinct, so that in worn individuals a narrow collar 

 is left on the fore neck, where the black spots coalesce. 



