180 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BEITISH BIRDS. 



web, peimltimate pair with small wedge-shaped white mark at 

 tip of imier web, next pair usually with verj^ small white mark 

 at tip ; primaries and secondaries black-brown, fringed on inner 

 webs dusky-grey and on outer webs greenish or greyish-buff, 

 inner secondaries and wing-coverts with paler buff (sometimes 

 whitish) edgings and tips. This plumage is acquired by complete 

 moult in Aug. -Oct. Summer. — All bod3'-feathers, wing-coverts 

 (some outer greater and median coverts occasionally do not moult 

 and primar^'-coverts never do), innermost secondaries and central 

 tail-feathers are moulted (exceptionally outer tail-feathers or all 

 are moulted) but not other wing- or tail-feathers, from Jan. to 

 March. New plumage is like winter, but as summer advances 

 upper-j^arts become very dark and imder-parts very pale and 

 boldlj- streaked owing to edges and tijDs of feathers wearing away. 

 N.B. — There is great indivicUial variation in colour of under-parts 

 and lighter portions of feathers of uj^per-parts both in winter and 

 summer. 



Nesting. — Down, brownish-grey, fairlj' long and plentiful ; 

 distribution, imier and outer supra-orbital, occipital, humeral, 

 ulnar, spinal, femoral, crural ancl ventral, very scanty on two 

 latter tracts. Mouth, inside carmine, externally flanges pale 

 3^ellow. No tongue-sj)ots, but tongue-spurs Avhitish. 



Juvenile. — Closely resembling adult but with edgings of 

 feathers of upper-parts smaller and dark markings more distinct, 

 under-parts generally tinged yellow. 



First unnter. — Like adult. The juvenile body -feathers, lesser, 

 median and some imier greater wing-coverts and imiermost secon- 

 daries ancl occasionally central j)aii" of tail-feathers are moulted 

 July to Oct., but not j)rimary-co verts nor rest of greater coverts 

 wings and tail. First summer. — Like adult and moult same. 



Measurements and structure. — (^ wing 77-85 mm., tail 58-64, 

 tarsus 20-23, bill from skull 11.5-13.5, hind claw 10-14, slightly 

 curved, longer than hind toe (12 measured). $ wing 74-79. 

 Primaries : 1st minute, about half primary-coverts, 2nd to 5th 

 nearly equal (greatest difference 1.5 mm.) and longest, 6th 8-11 

 shorter ; 3rd to 5th emarginated outer webs. Secondaries between 

 7th and 10th primaries, tips fairly square, longest inner secondary 

 usually between 5th and 6th primaries but sometimes as long 

 as longest primaries. Tail and bill as in Tree-Pipit. 



Soft parts. — Bill dark brown with pale browaiish-flesh base ; 

 legs and feet pale browiiish ; iris black-bro\A-n. 



Chakacters and allied species. — No subspecies recognized. 

 As compared to Tree-Pipit is rather smaller (looking decidedly 

 shorter m life), has much longer and less curved hind claw, and 

 51 h primary is equal to or within 1 mm. of longest, instead of 

 2.5-5 mm. shorter as in ^4. trivialis. In fresh plumage contrast 

 between buff throat and breast and whitish belly is always more 



