148 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



and lesser wing-coverts more uniform chestnut, mantle rather 

 darker, spots on throat and breast become smaller or wear off, 

 chestnut on sides of breast becomes more prominent. 



Adult female. Winter and summer. — ^Like male but fore- 

 head and crown like the mantle and only tinged chestnut ; 

 chestnut of wing-coverts paler ; spots on throat and breast larger 

 and more in form of short streaks ; sides of breast more heavily 

 streaked black -brown and less chestnut ; outer pair of tail- 

 feathers with a dark streak at tip. 

 Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. — Crown dark brown, feathers with buffish-white 

 tips and buffish-yellow bases ; nape more yellowish-buff, feathers 

 with buffish-white tips and penultimate dark brown marks ; 

 mantle, back and rump dark brown, feathers tipped buffish- 

 white fringed and mottled yellowish-buff ; upper taU-coverts 

 like nape ; lores buffish-white ; cheeks same, feathers with 

 penultimate dark brown tips ; ear-coverts same but more 

 yellowish-buff ; chin white ; throat same with a few dusky 

 spots ; breast and flanks yellowish-buff, feathers with penultimate 

 • dark brown spots ; rest of under-parts including axillaries white ; 

 tail-feathers brown, mottled j^ellowish-brown and evenly margined 

 buff with an inner dark brown hne, outer pair white tinged buff 

 on outer web and with a brown hne on inner web ; primaries as 

 tail but 8th to 10th with inner webs buffish-white ; innermost 

 secondaries as tail, rest with distal half buffish-white ; greater 

 and median coverts as tail but tips whitish ; lesser coverts brow n 

 tipped whitish-buff ; primary-coverts and bastard-wing broA\'n 

 fringed deep creamy-buff. 



First winter. Male and female. — Apparently hke adults and 

 not to be distinguished. The juvenile plumage is completely 

 (including wings and tail) moulted in autumn. 



Measurements atid structure. — (^ wing 115-125 mm., tail 64-70, 

 tarsus 24-26, bill from skull 12-14 (12 measured). $ wing 106-112. 

 Primaries : 1st minute and less than half primary-coverts, 2nd 

 and 3rd equal and longest, 4th 5-7 mm. shorter, 5th 14-18 shorter, 

 6th 22-28 shorter ; 3rd and 4th emarginated outer webs. In 

 juvenile plumage 1st primarj^ is considerably longer and broader 

 than in adult. Secondaries between 8th and 10th primaries, 

 square tipped and notched, longest between 6th and 7th. Tail 

 almost square. Hind claw straight, spike-shaped and longer than 

 hind toe. Bill strong, upper mandible curved and slightly longer 

 than lower. A good many small and ffiie rictal and nasal bristles 

 and small bristle-like feathers covering nostrils. 



Soft 'parts. — Bill brownish horn, paler at base ; legs and feet 

 yellowish-browTi ; iris dark bro^vn. 



Characters. — No subspecies. Distinguished easily by its chestnut 

 primary-coverts and lesser wing-coverts and white secondaries. 



