276 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



ear-coverts darker and more uniform ; under-parts cream-coloured, 

 each feather with, blackish crescentie band but chin, middle of 

 belly and under tail-coverts with only a few dark marks ; tail as 

 adult female but penultimate dark lines at tip more distinct ; 

 primaries and secondaries as adult female but innermost secondaries 

 Avith distinct buff or rufous margins and penultimate black lines ; 

 primary-coverts with longish biiff cr rufous tips ; greater coverts 

 brown-black Avith rufous edgings and usiiall}- rufous spots at tip and 

 penultimate black bands ; median and lesser coverts same but with 

 part of centres also buff or rufous. 



First ivinter. Male and female. — Much resembling adult 

 female but crown and rump more rufous and most feathers of 

 upper-parts including wing-coverts and innermost secondaries 

 with black crescentie bands ; under-parts like adult female. 

 Upper-parts darker and more rufous-broAMi than juvenile and not 

 nearly so much barred either on upper- or luicler parts . Apparently 

 no difference between male and female. jMost of the juvenile body- 

 feathers and lesser and median wing-coverts are moulted July- 

 Sept., but a varying number of body-feathers and wing-coverts are 

 retained, as well as jDrimary-co verts, wing- and tail-feathers and 

 usually greater coverts. First summer. — The first winter-plumage 

 together with remaining juvenile feathers are completely (including 

 wings and tail) moulted Nov.-Feb.. when ma/e becomes indis- 

 tinguishable from adult male but female differs from adult female 

 in having varying number of feathers of upper-parts, Aving-coverts, 

 and inner secondaries with black concentric bands narrower than 

 in first Avinter. 



Measurements and structure. — q '^ving 88-98 mm., tail 70-82, 

 tarsus 22-24.5, bill from feathers on culmen 12-13.5 (12 measured). 

 $ wing 87-96 mm. Primaries : 1st 1-4 mm. longer than longest 

 primary-covert, 3rd longest, 2nd 4-9 shorter, 4th 1-3 shorter, 5th 

 5-8 shorter, 6th 10-13 shorter ; 3rd and 4th primaries emarginated 

 outer webs. Secondaries equal to or shorter than 10th primary, 

 tips rounded. Tail fairh* square except for outermost pair Avhich 

 is a])out 10mm. shorter. Bill and rictal bristles as in L. minor. 



Soft jMrts. — Bill black (adult male) brown-horn (female and 

 young) ; legs and feet grey-black (adult male), browiiish-grey 

 (female and j'^oung) ; iris dark browni. 



Characters and allied forms. — Subspecies described from 

 Caucasus and Persia require further study. Grey crown and rump 

 and ba}^ mantle distinguish adult male ; female differs from L. 

 senator in having no white on rump, less white in outer tail-feathers, 

 more rufous mantle ; juvenile distinguished from that of L. s. 

 senator by want of white at base of primaries but difficult to distin- 

 guish from that of L. s. badius except for less Avhite in outer tail- 

 feathers. 



Field-characters. — Grey crown and nape, black lores and ear- 



