306 Lloyd's natural history. 



uniform ashy-brown ; median wing-coverts blackish-brown, with 

 ashy-brown edges; greater coverts and inner secondaries dark 

 brown, edged with rufous, the latter with ashy-white tips ; 

 bastard-wing, primary-coverts and quills dark brown, the latter 

 with paler brown margins; rump and upper tail-coverts uniform 

 olive-brown ; tail-feathers dark brown, the two centre ones 

 paler ; crown of head and hind-neck dull slaty-brown ; lores 

 dusky ; ear-coverts reddish-brown with whitish shaft-streaks ; 

 sides of neck, cheeks, throat and breast slaty-grey, becoming 

 paler on the lower breast, and shading off into dull white on 

 the abdomen ; sides of upper breast uniform olive-brown; sides 

 of body and flanks brown, the latter streaked with blackish- 

 brown centres to the feathers ; under tail-coverts whitish with 

 brown centres ; axillaries and under wing-coverts ashy-grey ; 

 quills dusky brown below, ashy along the inner edge ; bill dark 

 brown, the lower mandible paler; feet light brown ; iris brown. 

 Total length, 5-5 inches; oilmen, 0-5; wing, 275; tail, 2-4; 

 tarsus, o"S5. 



Adult Female. — Similar to the male in colour. Total length, 

 5 - 6 inches ; wing, 2*6. 



Young. — Similar in plumage to the adult, but much more 

 mottled, with black centres and paler tips to the feathers ; the 

 external aspect of the wings more rufous; the hind-neck 

 spotted with ochreous buff; throat ashy-grey, spotted with 

 dusky; throat and chest and sides of body ochreous-buff, with 

 triangular spots of blackish-brown ; breast ashy-white. 



Range in Great Britain.— A common resident throughout the 

 British Islands, occurring and breeding everywhere, excepting 

 in some of the Hebrides, the Orkneys, and Shetlands. Large 

 numbers occur on migration, especially on our eastern coasts, 

 and the species is also a winter visitant to the Orkney 

 Islands. 



Range outside the British Islands. — Breeds nearly everywhere 



throughout Europe, excepting in the extreme north, reaching 



lat. in Scandinavia, to Archangel in Western Russia, and 



t<> about 6o° in the Ural Mountains. In the south of Europe 



• , only on the mountains, and is principally known as a 



winter visitor to the Mediterranean countries I but it has been 



