168 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



centre of crown black, somewhat obscured by yellowish tips of 

 feathers ; on each side of crown over eye a tuft of narrow, elongated 

 black feathers forming " horns " ; back of crown and nape brownish- 

 pink, tinged yellowish and slightly 

 mottled dusky ; hind-neck same but 

 more pinkish ; mantle, scapulars, 

 back and rump brown, indistinctly 

 streaked dark browTi ; upper tail- 

 coverts with pinkish bases and 

 whitish tips ; round nostrils, lores 

 and extending in a broad stripe 

 down sides of throat black (feathers 

 narrowly tipped yellowish) ; ear- 

 coverts dusky-brown with pale yel- Sliore-I.ark (EremophUa a. flava). 

 low bases ; chin and upper-throat ^ ad. spring. 

 extending round sides at base of 



neck pale yellow ; lower-throat and across upper-breast broad band 

 of black feathers lightly tipped yellowish- white ; rest of breast 

 white (sometimes tinged yellow) faintly marked dusky and the sides 

 mostly brownish-pink ; belly, vent, under tail-coverts, axillaries 

 and under wing-coverts white ; flanks brown, tinged pink and 

 streaked dark brown ; tail-feathers : central pair brown with 

 dark centres and pinkish bases, rest brown-black narrowly fringed 

 whitish at tips, outer pair with more white at tip and most of outer 

 web white, penultimate pair with outer web fringed white ; primaries 

 and secondaries dark brown, narrowly tipped and fringed on outer 

 webs whitish and on basal half of inner webs broadly fringed white, 

 outer (2nd) primary with most of outer web white, inner secondaries 

 broadly fringed browTi ; primary-coverts, outer webs pinkish- 

 brown fringed whitish, inner webs blackish ; greater coverts dark 

 brown fringed pale brown and tipped whitish ; median coverts 

 same but with brownish-pink centres ; lesser coverts brownish-pink 

 fringed ashy. This plumage is acquired by complete moult in 

 early autumn. Summer. — No moult. By abrasion of tips and 

 fringes of feathers, yellow of fore-head becomes purer, black of crown, 

 sides of head, throat and breast nearly uniform (but often with 

 traces of pale tips on crown), back of crown and especially nape, 

 upper tail-coverts and sides of breast much pinker (in summer 

 —-June — yellow of head usually becomes whitish) 



Adult female. Winter. — Resembling male but less yellow on 

 fore-head ; black on crown much restricted ; feathers of " horns " 

 much shorter and tipped broAAii ; nape and hind-neck less pink 

 more brown ; rest of upper-parts with darker and more prominent 

 streaks ; yellow of throat duller, and black somewhat restricted 

 and not so intense. Summer. — Abrasion makes differences more 

 marked, crown being only spotted black, nape browner and streaked, 

 upper-parts much more streaked dark brown. 



Nestling. — Down, pale straw colour, long ; distribution, inner 



