148 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
inner webs much paler and becoming white towards the base, some of the inner 
primaries entirely white at the base; secondaries white tipped with brown, the 
latter colour becoming very pale and almost white towards the inner ones, the long 
innermost secondaries greyish-brown and blackish, with rufous spots on the margins ; 
lower back uniform dusky-brown ; upper tail-coverts white, the long ones tipped 
with black; tail white at the base, the white increasing in extent on the outer 
feathers which are black at the tips, the black much more extended on the middle 
feathers, which are slightly edged with white at the tips ; throat and a line from the 
base of the bill to the eye white ; a small crescent-shaped white line immediately 
below the eye; lores, sides of face, and ear-coverts cinnamon-rufous minutely 
streaked with blackish like the fore-neck and sides of neck, somewhat darker in 
colour on the latter; breast similar in colour to the foreneck but barred with 
brown, more broadly on the sides of the breast and sides of body; middle of 
abdomen, vent and under tail-coverts white barred with brown, some of the latter 
barred and margined with black; axillaries and under wing-coverts pure white, 
the lesser coverts round the margin of the wing dark brown or blackish ; bill— 
distal half of mandible brown, shading to pale brown at the base of upper mandible 
and greyish-white at base of lower mandible ; iris brown ; tarsi and feet olive-brown. 
Total length 360 mm.; culmen 73, wing 190, tail 71, tarsus 65. 
Adult female—Similar to the adult male but larger. 
Adult male in winter-plumage——Head, hind-neck, and sides of neck ash-grey, 
with a wash of rufous on the fore-part of the head; back, scapulars, and lesser 
marginal wing-coverts dark greyish-brown ; lower back dark brown with pale 
narrow margins to the feathers ; upper tail-coverts white, the long ones tipped with 
black ; tail white at base and black at the tip, the latter colour more pronounced 
on the middle feathers, and the former more extended on the outer ones ; median 
and greater wing-coverts fringed with white at the tips more broadly on the latter ; 
bastard-wing, marginal coverts, and primary-coverts blackish ; quills blackish on 
the outer webs and at the tips, with white shafts for the greater part of their length, 
inner webs paler brown and becoming entirely white at the base of the inner ones ; 
secondaries white with brown tips, on some of the feathers the brown is restricted 
to the inner web ; the long innermost secondaries greyish-brown like the back; a 
pale line from the base of the bill over the eye ; a small crescent white line imme- 
dately below the eye; chin whitish; throat, fore-neck, chest, and sides of body 
ash-grey ; abdomen and under tail-coverts white, the latter margined with black ; 
axillaries and under wing-coverts pure white, the small marginal coverts round 
the bend of the wing dark brown edged with white. 
Immature male—Top of head dark brown, the feathers margined with buff ; 
sides of face and neck all round grey, the latter washed with rufous ; upper back 
and scapulars dark brown, the feathers everywhere margined with buff ; the marginal 
upper wing-coverts, bastard-wing, and primary-coverts blackish, some of the latter 
tipped with whitish ; median wing-coverts dark brown with grey edges, the major 
coverts broadly tipped with white; primary-quills are much the same in colour 
as the summer and winter birds described above ; the long innermost secondaries 
differ from the winter-plumage in being dark with rufous or sandy-buff margins ; 
lower back blackish with slightly paler margins to the feathers ; upper tail-coverts 
and tail also similar, but differ in having dusky tips to the latter, throat whitish ; 
lower-breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts white washed with grey. 
Nesiling —Rusty-yellow marked with black, especially on crown and rump ; 
a narrow streak through the eye; wing joints, cheeks, and belly light yellowish. 
Nest—A depression in the grass. 
Eggs.—Clutch, four; surface not glossy ; ground-colour pale olive-green to 
pale yellowish ; covered all over with small spots of a more or less olive-brown ; some. 
on the larger end being olive-grey ; axis 51-55 mm., diameter 35-37. 
