VOL. IX.] MOULTS OF BRITISH PASSEKES. 245 



but the stripes on the crown are more broken with browji 

 and the rufous colour of the ear-coverts, lores and chin at all 

 seasons is paler. 



Juvenile. — The upper-])arts are heavily streaked with 

 black, the feathers being fringed on the sides of the crown 

 A\ ith chestnut, in the centre of the crown and the nape with 

 ])ale buff, on the mantle back and rump with jellowish-buft" 

 and chestnut ; the lores, chin and ear-coverts are rufous-buff 

 in!-tead of pinkish-chestnut as in the adult, and the throat, 

 breast and flanks are much more heavily streaked with black. 

 Sexes alike. 



FiEST WINTER AND SUMMER. — Moult as in Rustic-Buntiug 

 in July and August. Both sexes are then like the adult 

 winter female, but the lores, eyestripe and chin are paler and 

 less rufous. After the spring moult they become more like 

 the adults, but the chin and throat are not so dark. 



Reed-Bl"Nting {Emberiza s. schoeniclus). 



Adults. — Complete moult from September to November. 

 Fiom March to May a partial moult takes place and this is 

 confined to the chin, upper throat, lores, ear-coverts and 

 usually the fore-head. Before this moult takes place abrasion 

 has made in the male the crown, throat and ear-coverts much 

 blacker than in fresh plumage, but the lores never become 

 black before the moult. The ncAv feathers in the male are 

 entirely black except those of the malar stripes, which are 

 white. Abrasion graduallj^ causes the crown to become black, 

 the back of the neck A^hite forming a collar, the mantle 

 blacker, the rump grcA'er and the under-parts Avhiter. The 

 female moults the same parts as the male but apparently less 

 completely, and the ncAv feathers are colovired much as the 

 winter ones. Abrasion makes the croAvn darker but never 

 luiiform black as in the male ; in much worn females a narroAA' 

 greyish-white collar appears and the rump becomes greyish 

 but not so grey as in the male. 



Juvenile. — Much like the female but more boldly streaked 

 on the upper-parts and the feather-edges j)aler, the sides of 

 the throat, breast and flanks with short streaks and spots of 

 black. Sexes alike. 



First winter and summer.^ — The juvenile body-feathers 

 and wing-coverts are moulted in August and September, 

 but not the primary -coverts, wing- or tail-feathers. After 

 this moult the male becomes like the adult male, but the 

 feathers of the crown and throat have longer buff tips, there 

 is less white on the feathers at the back of the neck, the ear- 



