THE STONECHAT. 821 
the innermost secondaries and the smaller coverts pure white, which forms 
a patch on the wing, most conspicuous when the bird is flying. Sides of 
the neck and breast white, the remainder of the underparts rufous-brown, 
richest on the breast ; bill, legs, and feet black ; irides dark brown. The 
female is not nearly so richly clothed as her mate, being browner in every 
part, and with the white patches of her plumage suffused with a rufous 
shade. The nestling bird is spotted and streaked above and below, and 
has broad buff margins to the quills and tail-feathers, and no trace of the 
dark throat or white patches that distinguish the adult. In the autumn 
the male Stonechat’s plumage is browner, more like the female, from the 
effect of the broad buff margins to the feathers. The nuptial dress is 
gained, not by a moult, but by the casting of these buff margins in the 
spring. 
VOL. I. Y 
