164 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



superciliary stripe extending behind eye whitish-buff ; ear- 

 coverts brown, streaked dark brown ; chin bufl&sh- or yellowish- 

 white ; throat same but with fine, short, dark brown streaks ; 

 upper-breast more rufous-buff and strongty streaked black -brown ; 

 flanks same but with fewer and less prominent streaks ; lower- 

 breast, belly and under tail-coverts yellowish- or buffish-white ; 

 axillaries and under wing-coverts smoke-grey tinged buff ; tail 

 black -brown narrowly fringed brown, central pair broadly fringed 

 brown, outer pair with outer web and large wedge-shaped mark 

 on inner white, next (penultimate) pair with outer web white ; 

 wing-feathers dark brown with tips, inner webs and outer webs of 

 outer primaries fringed buffish-white, outer webs of inner primaries 

 and secondaries fringed more reddish-buff and innermost secondaries 

 paler brown on distal portion ; all wing-coverts dark brown fringed 

 and tipped buff. This plumage is acquired by complete moult 

 in Aug.-Sept. Siwimer. — No moult. By abrasion of pale tips 

 (usually lost by December) and fringes of feathers, upper-parts 

 gradually become much darker, less yellowish and more grey, 

 under-parts become whiter less huffish. 



Nestling. — Down, very pale straw-colour, long and plentiful ; 

 distribution, inner supra-orbital, occipital, humeral, uhiar, spinal 

 and femoral. Mouth, inside dull yellow, two black spots at base 

 of tongue and another at tip, externally flanges white. 



Juvenile (Plate 6). — Whole upper-parts yellowish to dark 

 brown, each feather evenly fringed and tipped white or pale buff 

 with a dark brown subterminal line or ma.rk, feathers of nape and 

 rump with narrower tips ; under-parts much as adult but throat 

 with scarcely any spots, and streaks on upper-breast not so dark 

 and more drop-shaped ; chin and cheeks often with a yellowish 

 tinge ; flanks brownish with a few spots ; wing- and tail-feathers 

 brown, evenly fringed buff with a subterminal dark brown line, 

 outer tail-feathers like adult. 



First winter and summer. — Like adults. The juvenile plumage 

 is completely (including wings and tail) moulted in Aug.-Sept. 



Measurements and structure. — ^ wing 111-122 mm., tail 71-76, 

 tarsus 23-26, bill from skull 12.5-14.5 (12 measured). 2 wing 99-108. 

 Primaries : 1st minute, less than half longest primary-covert, 

 narrow and pointed, 3rd longest, 2nd and 4th sometimes as long 

 but usually 1-2 mm. shorter, 5th 5-10 shorter, 6th 14-22 shorter ; 

 3rd to 5th emarginated outer webs. Secondaries between 8th and 

 10th primaries, tips notched, longest about equals 6th primary. 

 In juvenile 1st primary is broader, not so pointed and only 3-6 mm. 

 shorter than longest primary-covert (in one specimen as long as 

 covert). Tail slightly forked. Hind claw sharply pointed, nearly 

 straight, from twice as long to half as long again as hind toe. Bill 

 much stronger than Wood-Lark. A few fine rictal and nasal bristles 

 and short feathers covering nostrils. 



Soft parts. — Bill, upper mandible dark brownish-horn, cutting 



