118 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



lores and narrow line over eye buff ; ear-coverts blackish, marked 

 buff ; chin and throat extending to sides of neck, centre of breast, 

 and belly yellow, washed buff ; narrow band across upper-breast 

 chestnut, tipped buff (basal portion of these feathers yellow or 

 AAhite, ^^-ith black line dividing this from chestnut distal portion) ; 

 sides of breast and flanks yellow, with broad chestnut-black streaks 

 and whitish tips ; vent and under tail-coverts buffish-white ; 

 axillaries white, tinged yellow ; tail bro\\-n-black fringed brown, 

 outermost pair Avith large diagonal white band across both webs, 

 penultimate pair with small white mark at tip ; primaries and 

 secondaries broAMi-black, fringed greyish on iimer, and bro\\Ti on 

 outer webs ; innermost secondaries and greater coverts black and 

 chestnut, fringed and tipped huffish ; median and lower lesser 

 coverts huffish or yelloA\ish -white, freckled dusky ; upper lesser 

 coverts black, narroAAly fringed whitish. This plumage is acquired 

 by complete moult in early autumn. Summer. — ^A moult confined 

 to head takes place in April and May, and new feathers of fore-head, 

 fore-part of crown, lores, round eyes, ear-coverts, chin, and upper- 

 throat are jet-black ; abrasion of tips of feathers gradually makes 

 upper-parts uniform chestnut and breast-band and dark streaks 

 on flanks more prominent ; median and lesser coverts whiter, and 

 greater more chestnut. 



Adult female. Winter. — Centre of crown and back of neck 

 yellowish-brown, with narrow black mesial streaks ; sides of crown 

 blacker, forming dark lines ; mantle and scapulars with broader 

 black streaks ; rump more uniform and with some chestnut ; lores 

 and eye-stripe buff ; ear-coverts broAAH and buff ; chin, throat, 

 breast, and belly yellow, much obscured by greyish-buff fringes ; 

 flanks more buff and streaked ; vent and under tail-coverts pale 

 buff ; axillaries white or buffish-white ; tail and wing-feathers as 

 male, but browner, not so dark ; inner secondaries and greater 

 coverts black and broAvn, fringed and tipped pale buff ; median 

 coverts black, tipped whitish-buff ; lesser coverts with narrow 

 buffish-grey tips. Summer. — Moult as in male, new feathers of 

 crown being marked chestnut and of chin being bufl&sh-white. 

 Abrasion has little effect compared with male, but chestnut shows 

 more on rump, and occasionally ill-defined chestnut breast-band 

 is revealed by Avearing off of tips, and under-parts become purer 

 yellow, not so buff. 



Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. — Much as adult female, but fringes of feathers of 

 crown and mantle paler, and rump more streaked ; under-parts 

 yellowish-buff ; breast and flanks bro« ner and finely streaked 

 brown-black ; axillaries buffish-white. 



First vnnter. Male. — ]\Iuch less chestnut on crown and rump 

 than adult male ; more like female on mantle and scapulars ; rnider- • 

 parts i^aler yellow than adult male, and heavily Avashed buff as in 

 female ; chestnut breast-band almost concealed by buff tips 



