102 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



chestnut-buff ; greater coverts as inner secondaries but fringes 

 rather deeper chestnut ; median coverts black at base, witli long 

 buffish-white tips forming wing-bar ; lesser wing-coverts chestnut. 

 This plumage is acquired by complete moult in Aug. -Oct. 

 Summer. — ^No moult. Abrasion of buff fringes makes crown and 

 nape pure French-grey, back and rump gi'eyer but always browner 

 than cro\\Ti, mantle brighter, chestnut behind eye and on sides 

 and back of neck more uniform, brighter and more extensive, 

 ear-coverts, sides of neck and greater wing-coverts whiter, black 

 of cliin and tliroat uniform, and more extended on breast by 

 wearing-off of white tips to feathers. 



Adult female. Winter. — Fore-head, crown, nape, back of neck, 

 back, rump, and upper tail-coverts uniform brown, tinged olive ; 

 mantle and scapulars like male but without chestnut ; streak 

 behind eye bro%\-nish-buff ; below it and patch on sides of neck 

 dark brown ; ear-coverts, breast, and flanks greyisli-bro\A'n, tinged 

 buff ; chin and belly whiter ; centre of tliroat whitish, often with 

 faint blackish mark (feathers of under-parts \^ith more decided 

 shaft-streaks than in male) ; under tail-coverts as male ; axillaries 

 buffish-white ; tail, primaries, and secondaries as male but edgings 

 paler ; greater coverts fringed and tipped buff ; median coverts 

 with narrow whitish-buff tips ; lesser coverts bro^-n. Summer. — 

 No moult. Abrasion makes streaking of mantle more marked, 

 ashy-black mark on centre of throat stronger and rest of imder-parts 

 rather paler. 



Nestling. — Doami, absent. Mouth, inside pinkish-yellow, no 

 tongue-spots ; externally, flanges pale yellow. 



Juvenile. Male and female. — ^Like adult female but cro\Mi 

 and rump faintly mottled dark brown, mantle, Avings, and tail 

 paler, tlu-oat and belly white, but in male more decidedly tinged 

 ashy-black in centre of tlu-oat. 



First ivinter and summer. Male atid female. — Like adults but 

 in male more white on tips of feathers of chin. The juvenile- 

 plumage is completely (including wings and tail) moulted in 

 Sept. -Oct. 



Measurements and structure. — ^ wing 72-81 mm., tail 54-58, 

 tarsus 17-20, bill from skull 12-13 (40 British measured). $ wing 

 71-76. Primaries : 1st minute (larger in juvenile), 2nd to 4th nearly 

 equal and longest, 5th 1-2 mm. shorter, 6th 5-7 shorter ; 3rd to 5th 

 emarginated on outer webs. Secondaries between 8th and 10th 

 primaries, tips square, slightly notched. Tail slightly forked. 

 Bill thick, tapering shaq^iy at point. Few small rictal bristles 

 and small bristle-like feathers covering nostrils. 



Soft parts. — Bill black {(^ summer), horn-bro\Mi, more yellow 

 at base (o Oct. to Jan. and $), yellow tip. brownish-black base 

 (juv.) ; legs and feet pale bro^n ; iris hazel. 



Characters and allied forms. — Male of P. d. hiUicus (SjTia) is 

 slightly larger and paler, P. d. tingitanus (north-west Africa) with 



