240 BRITISH HIKDS. [vol ix. 



may therefore be due to individual variation ; on the other 

 hand, these particular specimens may have been ^^TOngIy 

 scxed. 



First winter and summer. — The juvenile body-feat heis, 

 wing-coverts and four inner secondaries are moulted from 

 July to October but not the ])rimarv-eoverts nor the rest of 

 the wing-feathers nor tail-feathers. Tlie male then becouu's 

 intermediate l)etween the adult male and adult female, the 

 yellow of the under-parts being not so brilliant as in the adult 

 male, and the crown, ear-coverts and sides of neck more like 

 those of the female. The female becomes intermediate 

 between the adult female and juvenile male, the crown and 

 nape having scarcely a trace of yellow and no green. l)eing 

 yellowish-brown streaked with black-brown : the throat and 

 belly are much paler yellow than in the adult feuuile and the 

 breast and flanks arc more streaked ])ut not nearly so much 

 as in the juvenile. After the second autumn moult the birds 

 a])pear to become like the adults. 



PmE-BuNTiNG {Emberiza leucocephahi). 



Adults. — ('om])lete moult in autumn. In Fel)ruarv and 

 March a partial moult takes place and this is apparently 

 confined to the regions of the lores and ear-coverts and a few 

 feathers of the white " bib." In the male the new feathers 

 on the ear-coverts, centre of lores and a narrow line under 

 the eye are Avhite instead of buffish-white. In the female the 

 same moult takes ])lace. but there is little change in colora- 

 tion either by this or by abrasion. Abrasion in the male 

 gradualh' makes the centre of the ciown ])ure wliite and the 

 chin and throat uniform pinkish-chestnut. The chief differences 

 in the female are that it has the whole crown streaked with 

 blackish and only the bases of the feathers in the centre are 

 whitish, the ear-coverts are brown and the chin and throat 

 are pale buff spotted with dark brown with a little chestnut 

 at the bases of the feathers, and there is a small creamy patch 

 in place of the A\hite " bib " of the male. 



Juvenile. — Much like the adult winter female but with 

 only an indication of ])ale bases to the feathers of the centre 

 of the crown. Miinp rufous-buff (less chestnut than adult) 

 and streaked with l)lack. le.st of u])per-parts more tawny than 

 winter female, throat whitish streaked with black, breast 

 and flanks tawny-buff streaked with black-brown, and tlu^ 

 mider tail-coverts in one speciiiicii luiltish-whitc with tine 

 dark ])rown mesial streaks, in another speciuu'U rufous. 



F^^lRST WINTER. — I'he juvenile body-plumage and lesser and 

 median winir-coverts are ii)oiilte<l in the lirst aiilnmu luit not 



