218 lanftdt:. 



and on the western it is abundant in the Gamhia, and lias 

 been received by Dr. Harthiub from the Gokl Coast. Except- 

 ing perhaps within the tropics, where it may be stationary, it 

 is a migratory species throughout all the countries in which 

 it is found, appearing in southern and central Europe in 

 spring and leaving in autumn. 



In the adult male, as represented in the lower figure, the 

 beak is black, above the base of the upper mandible is a 

 narrow streak of white ; the forehead, round the eyes, the 

 ear-coverts, and a small patch depending therefrom, black ; 

 irides hazel ; crown of the head and naj^e of the neck, rich 

 chestnut-red ; the back black ; the scapulars white ; the 

 rump grey ; upper tail-coverts white : the wings and wing- 

 coverts black ; the primaries white at the base, forming a 

 spot when the wing is closed ; the secondaries white at the 

 end : the middle tail-feathers black ; the outer feather on 

 each side wholly white ; the next on each side with the 

 proximal half white, the distal half black, with a white tip ; 

 the next on each side with a white tip only. The chin, 

 throat, breast, belly, and under tail-coverts, white ; legs, 

 toes, and claws, black. 



The whole length of the male here described was seven 

 inches and a half. The length from the carpal joint to the 

 end of the wing-feathers, four inches : the first wing-feather 

 less than half the length of the second ; the third, fourth, 

 and fifth, longer than the second ; the third the longest of 

 the whole. 



The female has the crown and nape dull red ; the scapu- 

 lars dirty white ; the black of the back mixed Avith brown ; 

 the wing-coverts edged with red ; the breast dirty Avliite ; 

 the feathers of the flanks reddish tipped with brown. 



The young bird of the year, as represented in the upper 

 figure, is reddish-brown above, with brown transverse lines ; 

 wings and tail brownish-black ; underneath dirty white, with 

 greyish transverse lines. 



The young male in the British collection of birds in the 

 British Museum, which has been already mentioned as 

 having been killed in Kent, and a specimen of a young 



