51 
abdomen, with only a few scattered dots here and there ; the 
sides, axillaries, and wnder-wing coverts, with the markings 
reduced to narrow arrow-head bars, rarely extending quite to 
the margins of the webs; and with the lower tail coverts spot- 
less, with only, perhaps here and there, a faint trace of where a 
bar has been. 
In the next younger stage, (and this is that, in which the 
so-called adult birds appear to be generally shot in Wngland 
and western Hurope,) the chin and throat are spotless, but the 
whole breast has very narrow, linear, lanceolate, dark, central 
stripes to the feathers; the abdomen is well marked with pretty 
large black brown spots; the thigh coverts are barred with 
narrow transverse bars, far more conspicuous and closer than 
even in the axillaries of the older stage; while the sides, axilla- 
ries, and under-wing coverts are firmly barred with bars, broader 
and darker than in the older bird, and which moreover, extend 
quite to the margins of the feathers. The lower tail coverts are 
all distinctly barred, but the bars are very narrow, and in colour 
they are greyish brown. In the first described stage moreover, 
the head and nape are blacker, and the white markings on the 
inner webs of the primaries, much broader than in the second. 
From the large number of specimens, obtained in upper India, 
in stages intermediate between these two, as compared with 
those exactly answering these descriptions, I conclude that the 
bird, probably takes a long time, perhaps many years, to pass 
from one to the other. In the next younger stage, each feather of 
the breast has an ovato-lanceolate, clove-brown drop near the tip. 
The feathers of the whole of the abdomen, have large brown 
subterminal spots, and many of them a broad bar above this. 
The thigh coverts are far more broadly and decidedly barred, 
than even in the last described stage, while in the sides, axilla- 
ries, and lower wing coverts, (especially the two latter,) the 
brown bars are as broad as the interspaces, and the lower tail 
coverts are much more strongly, though not more closely barred, 
than in the preceding. In both the first described stages, the 
central tail feathers are slatey blue, tipped white, with a sub- 
tipping and margin of blackish brown,and bars of the same colour, 
or traces of them, projecting inwards, towards, but usually not 
extending quite to, the centre of the feathers; but in the 
youngest of the three stages, the central tail feathers are deep 
brown, tipped with rufous, with well-marked transverse grey 
bars, most conspicuous towards the base. Other younger stages 
are well known. 
I have not above alluded to the difference in the amount of 
rufous, observable on the lower parts of different individuals. 
