164 BRITISH BIRDS. 
most troublesome weeds, are greedily devoured. In the early winter this 
species is often remarkably fat; and in Italy great numbers are caught 
with Ortolans, and fattened for the table. 
The adult male Yellow Hammer in the breeding-season has the head 
and nape bright yellow, more or less streaked with dusky brown, the 
remains of autumn plumage; the rest of the upper parts are chestnut, 
broadly streaked on the back and scapulars with very dark brown; the 
primaries are dark brown, externally margined with yellow; the innermost 
secondaries and wing-coverts are dusky black, the former broadly margined 
and the latter margined and tipped with chestnut-brown. The tail is dark 
brown, the two centre feathers broadly margined with reddish brown, the rest 
narrowly with yellowish, the two outer feathers on each side having a conical 
patch of white on the inner web. The general colour of the underparts is 
bright yellow, shading into dusky olive on the breast, and streaked on the 
cheeks, breast, and flanks with rich chestnut. Bill with the upper mandible 
brown, the lower horn-colour; legs, feet, and claws light brown ; irides 
hazel. The female has the yellow much less in extent, almost absent from 
the head, and paler than in the male; the underparts are much more 
streaked, and the colours generally are much duller. Young in first 
plumage very closely resemble females, the young males not obtaining 
their yellow heads until the first moult. Males of the year have the head 
more streaked than adults. After the autumn moult the Yellow Hammer 
has dark tips to the feathers of the head, and broad pale margins to the 
feathers of the rump and to the upper tail-coverts ; most of these are abraded 
or drop off in spring, leaving the bird in brilliant nuptial dress. 
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