268 Allen's naturalist's library. 



or less complete black bars, irregular on the inner web ; lesser 

 wing-coverts blackish-brown, with sandy margins ; median and 

 greater-coverts sandy-buff in appearance, the feathers ashy- 

 brown, notched with sandy-buff, and barred with black ; bas- 

 tard-wing, primary-coverts, and primaries uniform blackish- 

 brown ; the secondaries dark brown, notched with white, 

 minutely on the outer web, and more deeply on the inner one; 

 the long inner secondaries, like the scapulars, barred with black, 

 and notched and tipped with white ; centre tail-feathers ashy- 

 brown, barred with black, the sub-terminal bar broader than 

 the others; remainder of the feathers tawny-buff, broadly tipped 

 with whitish, before which is a broad sub-terminal bar of black, 

 the feathers having also some narrower bands of black, not 

 regular or co-terminous ; crown of head blackish, with a mesial 

 streak of sandy-buff, all the feathers also edged with sandy-buff; 

 hind-neck sandy-buff, narrowly streaked with black; sides of 

 face and ear-coverts sandy-buff, with narrow streaks and spots 

 of black; cheeks and throat pure white; lower throat, fore-neck, 

 and chest tawny-buff, the feathers centred with triangular spots 

 of black, taking the shape of irregular bars on the latter ; brenst 

 and abdomen creamy-white, the sides of tiie body and flanks 

 barred with blackish-brown ; thighs and under tail-coverts uni- 

 form isabelline-buff ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white, 

 regularly barred across with black ; quills below ashy, with 

 numerous bars and notches of white along the inner web ; bill 

 yellowish-green, the tip dusky, the edges towards the base yellow; 

 legs and tarsi light yellowish-grey, toes rather darker, claws 

 brownish-black ; iris dark hazel. Total length, 1 1 inches ; 

 culmen, 1-15 ; wing, 6-5 ; tail, s'S ', tarsus, 175. 



Young. — Similar to the adults, but the buff on the head, jugu- 

 lum, wings, (S:c., much deeper; the streaks on the fore-neck and 

 jugulum much less distinct, and the back p'ain black, the 

 feathers bordered with buff. 



Range in Great Britain. — Eight records of the occurrence of 

 this American species within our limits are considered to be 

 authentic. Although strictly a bird of the New World, it ap- 

 pears to wander considerably during its autumn migration, 

 and has even been found in Australia. In England it has 

 occurred between October and December in the following 



