REED-BUNTING. 27 



of ochreous-white, but that of the secondaries and tertials, 

 especially the latter, broader and redder as the inner part of 

 the wing is approached ; the rump and upper tail-coverts 

 brownish-black mixed with iron-grey ; the tail-quills dark 

 brown ; the middle pair somewhat lighter than the rest and 

 with broad light edges, the two outer pairs margined exteriorly 

 with white and having a large white patch on the inner web ; 

 chin and throat black, which at first widens out under the 

 white collar and then forms a pointed gorget ending on the 

 upper part of the breast ; all the rest of the lower plumage 

 white, which is pure on the sides of the breast, belly and 

 lower tail-coverts, but clouded and streaked with brown on 

 the sides of the body, flanks and tibiae : legs, toes and claws, 

 brown . 



The adult male in autumn and winter has all the feathers 

 of the upper parts so broadly bordered with light reddish- 

 brown that the darker tints are greatly if not altogether 

 obscured. The same is the case on the chin and throat, so 

 that the bird seems to have a brown head, only here and 

 there mottled with black. In the spring these light edges 

 fall off and leave the head and throat of a pure black. 



The whole length of the male is six inches. From the 

 carpal joint to the end of the wing, three inches : the third, 

 fourth and fifth primaries nearly equal in length, and con- 

 siderably longer than the second, which again is a little 

 longer than the sixth. 



The female is rather smaller than the male, and has the 

 upper part of the head and ear-coverts dark brown, the 

 feathers being bordered with light reddish-brown ; the lores 

 and a stripe over and behind the ear-coverts, pale yellowish- 

 brown ; the back and wings almost as in the male ; the chin 

 and lower parts dull white with an interrupted streak of dark 

 brown descending from each lower corner of the mandible ; 

 the feathers of the chest dark brown along the shaft, 

 becoming light reddish-brown on each web, and bordered 

 with dull white, so as to present a distinct and broad spotted 

 gorget. 



Young birds in autumn and winter have the bill dusky 



