2 2 Allen's naturalist's library. 



tips to the quills and the upper tail-coverts ; crown of head 

 pale grey; on the sides of the neck a broad collar of buff; 

 under surface of body white, with a tinge of buff on the throat 

 and fore-neck; under wing-coverts buff; bill blackish, with the 

 base of the lower mandible pale yellow ; feet leaden-grey ; iris 

 dark brown. Total length, i6 inches ; culmen, i-2 ; wing, 8-5 ; 

 tail, 8-8 ; tarsus, 1-3. 



Adult Female. — Similar to the male, but with a good deal of 

 chestnut on the quills, which appears to vanish with age, so 

 that there is at last no difference between the sexes, beyond 

 that the female is a little smaller. Total length, 15 inches; 

 wing, 77. 



Young. — Resembles the adult, but always has the greater part 

 of the quills chestnut ; the throat is darker and more rufous, 

 and the fore-part of the head is black. 



Range in Great Britain. — Has occurred twice in the British 

 Isles, once in Ireland in 1842, when a specimen was caught 

 alive in March of that year. It was found in an emaciated 

 condition on the Island of Omey, off the coast of Connemara. 

 Mr. Howard Saunders says that the specimen, which is now 

 in the Museum of Trinity College, Dublin, is in immature 

 plumage, which fact accounts for the caution of his statement, 

 that it was captured probably in March 1842. A second 

 example is in the Newcastle Museum, and was shot near 

 Bellingham in Northumberland on the 5th of August, 1870. 



Eange outside the British Islands. — Principally a Mediterranean 

 species, arriving in Southern Spain early in March aiid leaving 

 in the first days of August. It has occurred accidentally in 

 Northern Germany, Southern France, and Northern Italy, 

 and to most of the Mediterranean countries, as far east as 

 Asia Minor, it is a regular visitor. Its farthest eastern range 

 appears to be Northern Persia. It is a resident bird and nests 

 i 1 Egypt and North-western Africa, but the only known breed- 

 ing place within strictly European limits, is the southern half 

 of Spain, where Mr. Howard Saunders has found it nesting as 

 far north as Madrid. It is also a visitor to the Canary Islands. 

 In winter it migrates to Senegambia and the Gold Coast, and 

 also visits Southern Africa. 



Hahits. — Like the other members of this Family, the Great 



