THE MEADOW- OR ROCK-BUNTING. 125 



tipped buffish-white ; lesser tipped grey. This plumage is acquired 

 by complete moult in early autumn. Summer. — ^No moult. 

 Abrasion makes crown, sides of head and tliroat purer grey, buiT 

 tinge being worn off. 



Adult femule. Winter. — ^Like male but browner and more 

 streaked crown ; paler, not so chestnut, mantle ; bro\vner ear- 

 coverts ; throat and breast more tinged buff and faintly spotted ; 

 rest of under -parts rather paler than male. Summer. — ^Abrasioti 

 makes crown and ear-coverts greyer, approaching winter plumage 

 of male, and spots mostly wear off throat and breast, which are 

 alwaj^s rather less pure grey than in male. 



Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. — Crown bro^\^lish-buff, streaked black ; mantle more 

 chestnut-brown and broadly streaked ; rump and upper tail- 

 coverts chestnut, finely streaked black ; eye-stripe pale buff, 

 speckled black ; ear-coverts buffish-brown ; throat buff and upper- 

 breast and flanks rufous-buff, spotted and streaked black-brown : 

 centre of breast, belly and under tail-coverts uniform buff ; tail 

 and wings as adult ; greater and median wing-coverts with smaller 

 buffish-white tips divided centrally by black-brown ; lesser coverts 

 bro^vner, narrowly tipped dull grey. 



First winter and summer. Male. — Like adult female but 

 slightly greyer on crown and slightly more chestnut on mantle. 

 The juvenile body-plumage and wing-coverts are moulted in early 

 autumn but not rest of wuigs and tail. Female. — ^Like adult 

 female, but crown buffish-brown, streaked black witli only bases 

 of feathers grey ; eye-stripe inconspicuous buff ; ear-coverts 

 buffish-brown ; throat and breast heavily washed buff and much 

 speckled dark bro\vn ; flanks sUghtly streaked. 



Measurements and 'structure. — ^ wing 81-85 mm., taU 73-78, 

 tarsus 18-20, bill from skull 10-11.5 (12 measured). $ wing 75-81. 

 Pruuaries : 1st minute and hidden, 3rd to 5th usually equal and 

 longest, 2nd 3-6 mm. shorter, 6th 1-4 shorter ; 3rd to 6th emargi- 

 nated outer webs. Other structure as E. citrinella. 



Soft parts. — Bill dark lead ; legs and feet brownish-straw ; 

 iris dark brown. 



Characters and allied forms. — E. c. africana (north-west 

 Africa) is rather paler on throat and under-parts with grey of 

 throat not extending so far down breast, E. c. par (mid- Asia) 

 larger, paler mantle, reddish -brown tips to median wing-coverts, 

 E. c. stracheyi (Himalayas) darker upper- and under-parts," tips 

 of median coverts as in E. c. par, E. c. godlewskii (east Siberia) 

 larger, sides of crown chestnut, grey of crowai and throat bluer. 

 Except in juvenile ash-grey throat distinguishes it from all other 

 British Buntings except E. cioides castaneiceps, which has chestnut 

 ear-coverts. Juvenile only to be distinguished from juvenile 

 E. cioides castaneiceps by whitish tips to median coverts (this 



