THE WOOD-TATTLERS. 277 



Adult Male in Summer Plumage. — More variegated than in winter, 

 the back being uniform dark brown, with large notches of white 

 on both webs, and having very distinct white edges to the sca- 

 pulars and inner wing-coverts; the long upper tail-coverts barred 

 with dusky blackish, and resembling the centre tail-feathers; 

 the head and neck streaked with white, the sides of the face, 

 lower throat, and fore-neck very distinctly and broadly streaked 

 with blackish centres to the feathers; the sides of the body and 

 under tail-coverts mottled with cross-bars of blackish-brown ; 

 the axillaries also narrowly barred with blackish-brown ; bill 

 blackish-olive below, at base lighter brownish-olive ; feet light 

 greyish-olive ; iris dark brown. Total length, 7 inches ; culmen, 

 1-3; wing, 4-9; tail, 1-85; tarsus, 1-4. 



Young after First Moult. — Differs from the adults in being 

 closely spotted on the upper surface, but the spots are more or 

 less rufescent ; the lower throat and chest are ashy as in the 

 winter plumage of the adults, but the dusky-brown stripes are 

 very distinct, and are also visible on the sides of the body; the 

 axillaries are pure white, or with the merest trace of frecklings 

 of brown ; bill dusky-brown, inclining to greenish-olive towards 

 the base ; feet greenish-olive ; iris blackish-brown. 



Range in Great Britain. — The Wood-Tattler visits our shores on 

 migration, occurring on our eastern and southern coasts every 

 autumn with tolerable regularity, and also visiting inland waters. 

 On the west coast it is decidedly rare, and only one instance of 

 its capture has been recorded from Ireland. During the spring 

 migration the species also appears, but is very rare. That it 

 formerly bred within our limits is certain, and the late Mr, 

 John Hancock obtained a nest and eggs in June, 1853, on 

 Prestwick Car in Northumberland, a locality now drained. 

 " The late Mr. F. Bond received eggs which he considered to 

 be well authenticated from the vicinity of Elgin " (Cf. Saunders' 

 " Manual," p. 593). 



Range outside the British Islands. — The breeding area of the 

 present species extends throughout Northern and Temperate 

 Europe and Asia as far as Kamtchatka, while its winter range 

 carries it to South Africa, India, and the Malayan Archipelago, 

 passing through all the intervening countries in its flight. 



Habits. — The Wood-Tattler is a somewhat latearrival in Europe 



