151 
That this is really the 3rd stage, there can be little doubt ; 
but even here the changes are most confusing, because, one 
bird for instance, having a most conspicuous orange buff patch 
on the nape, has the whole of the upper tail coverts, a clear 
fulvous white, as in the second stage; while another, though 
of a deeper brown, shews no trace of buff upon the nape, and 
has the upper tail coverts, uniform blackish brown, as in the 
adult. 
The wing lining, also varies very much in this stage. In 
some, and these by no means the most advanced, it is alto- 
gether deep brown, as in the perfect adult, while in others, by 
no means the least advanced, it is a rufous buff, or a rufous 
buff mingled with dark brown. Im one, and that a bird 
shewing the incipient orange buff head, they are precisely as 
in the second stage, the lesser and median lower wing coverts 
being uniform pale hair brown, and the larger lower wing 
caverts white. 
The 4th stage is well known. The whole head, nape, cheeks, 
ear coverts, and sides of the neck, buff or orange buff, the 
back, scapnlars, (except a few which are pure white) upper tail 
coverts, wing coverts, primaries and secondaries, chin, throat, 
breast, andiowien) leg feathiane, sides, axillaries, and wing lining, 
deep blackish brown. ‘The lesser wing coverts margined, and” 
and the upper tail coverts tipped, with fulvous white. The 
lower tail coverts, white, and a good deal of white mottling 
about the tertiaries, which area pale brown. The tail, gray; 
with a very broad terminal black band, occupying fully two- 
fifths of its visible surface, and above this, a number of more or 
less broad, irregular mottled, and imperfect transverse dark, 
brown bands, which sometimes do, and sometimes do not, 
coincide exactly at the shaft. 
This is what I take to be the perfect adult. In less advan- 
ced examples of this stage, the forehead, and more or less of the 
crown are blackish brown. The feathers of the chin, and 
throat, as well as the upper breast, are margined, more or less 
bro oadly with the same orange buff as the head and nape. 
The axillaries, and lower wing coverts, are more or less 
mottled with rufous, the lower tail coverts with rufous brown ; 
and the ground colour of the tail, above the black tip, is pale 
yellowish stone colour rather than grey. The upper tail 
coverts likewise are paler brown, and more broadly tipped with 
fulvous white. In this stage too, the changes are not syn- 
chronous ; birds most advanced about the head, being often least 
so about the tails ; those most advanced on the upper, least so 
on the under surface, and vice versa. 
