48 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



CTreenish -yellow ; secondaries same but fringed brownish-grey on 

 distal and greenish on proximal halves ; primary-coverts like 

 primaries but w ith greenish fringes ; greater coverts grey-bro\^n, 

 tinged green, especially on outer Mebs ; median and lesser coverts 

 brownisli-green. This plumage is acquired by complete moult in 

 early autumn, sometimes beginning as early as May and June. 

 Summer. — No moult. By abrasion of tips of feathers upper-parts 

 gradually become greener, under-parts brighter yellowish-green, 

 and greater Aving-coverts and inner secondaries greyer and 

 less brown. 



Adult female. Winter. — CroAvn, nape, and mantle dark greyish- 

 brown \\\t\\ indistinct darker streaks ; rump yellowish-green ; upper 

 tail-coverts brown ; eye-stripe greenish ; lores, distinct malar stripe, 

 ear-coverts, sides of neck, and flanks like mantle but greyer ; chin, 

 tliroat, and breast brownisli-grey, tinged greenish-yellow ; low^er- 

 breast more j^ellow ; belly, vent, and under tail-coverts whitish, 

 latter sometimes a little yellow ; under a^ ing-coverts and axillaries 

 as in male but not so bright ; tail-feathers as in male but with 

 much less greenish-yellow, this being confined to inner and outer 

 edges ; primaries and secondaries and wing-coverts as in male 

 but much browner and v>'\t\\ narrower edging of greenish-yellow on 

 primaries, only faint greenish tinge on secondaries, and no green 

 on greater coverts. Summ,er. — By abrasion eye -stripe and rump 

 become greener ; mantle tinged green ; tlu-oat, space between 

 malar stripe and ear-coverts, and lower -breast, more yellowish. 



Nestling. — Down, greyish-white, medium length ; distribution, 

 inner supra-orbital, occipital, humeral, spinal, ulnar, femoral, 

 ventral, and crural. Mouth, inside deep crimson, no spots; 

 externally gape white (C. B. Ticehurst, Brit. B., n, p. 192). 



Juvenile (Plate 2). Male. — Resembling adult female on 

 upper-parts but much more streaked dark brown, and with rump 

 and upper tail-coverts browTi and streaked like mantle ; whole 

 under-parts greyer, tinged pale yellow and much streaked brown, 

 including under tail-coverts, but vnth. centre of belly yellower and 

 without streaks ; tail, primaries, secondaries and primary- coverts 

 as in adult male, but with edges of inner secondaries pale 

 reddish-brown ; all wing-coverts pale reddish-brown Avith only 

 tinge of green. Female. — Like juvenile male, but with wing and 

 tail-feathers as in adult female. 



First winter and summer. — Like adult. The juvenile body- 

 feathers, wing-coverts, and inner secondaries are moulted from 

 July to Sept., but not primary-coverts, primaries, rest of 

 secondaries, and tail. 



Measurements and structure. — ^ wing 85-90 mm., tail 55-60, 

 tarsus 17-19, bill from feathers 12-14 (12 measured). $ wing 83-85. 

 Primaries : 1st minute and hidden, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th about equal and 

 longest, 5th 2-4 mm. shorter, 6th 11-14 shorter ; 3rd to 5th emar- 

 ginated outer webs. Longest secondary equals 8tli primary. Tips of 



