400 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
plumage of the males; in winter plumage they are 
more alike, and more like the females. J may add 
that each individual appears to assume the same 
coloured plumage each spring. 
In one of my specimens, a male in spring 
plumage, the space between the beak and the eye is 
rusty brown; the top of the head bay, with a few 
dark spots; the ruff and ear-tufts very rich bay, 
every feather tipped with a band of bright bluish 
purple; the back and scapulars the same rich bay 
as the ruff, partially barred with bluish purple,—a 
few ash-grey feathers are intermixed, probably part 
of the winter plumage which had not yet changed 
colour; the tertials the same as the back, but rather 
paler; the wing-coverts ash-grey; secondary quills 
the same, with light margins; both the upper and 
under tail-coverts are white; the tail much the same 
as the tertials; the breast and belly nearly the same 
bay as the ruff, but rather lighter: there are a few 
white feathers intermixed, especially on the belly,— 
these are probably (like the ash-grey ones in the 
back) the remains of the winter plumage. The other 
has the face and top of the head white, speckled with 
buff and dusky; the ruff white, tinged about the ear- 
tufts with buff; the back and scapulars buffy white, 
irregularly marked and speckled with black; the 
wing-coverts are ash-grey—a few feathers appear to 
be assuming some of the same markings as the back ; 
the tertials and tail marked much the same as the 
