THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. 285 



Nestling. — Down soot3--gTe3', moderately long but rather 

 scanty, especiallj' on femoral tract. Distribution outer and inner 

 supra-orbital, occipital, humeral, ulnar, spinal, femoral. Mouth 

 inside orange -yellow, no spots, externally flanges whitish-yelloA^-. 



Juvenile. — Whole upper-parts brown with large pale buff 

 spots, each feather having pale buff centre and narroAv dark brown 

 margin ; upper tail-coverts with smaller and more rufous buff 

 spots and tips ; chin and throat bufhsh-white with faint sooty- 

 brown tips : breast and flanks bufiish-white, each feather margined 

 dark browai, giving spotted appearance rather than streaked as 

 adult ; centre of bellj' and luider tail-coverts Avhite ; axillaries 

 cinnamon-buff ; primaries, primary-coverts and secondaries as in 

 adults but edgings to latter usually more riffous ; greater coverts 

 dark brown with riffous-buff edgings and with small rufous-buff 

 spots at tip of inner feathers ; median coverts with larger and paler 

 buff spots at tips ; lesser coverts with pale buff centres and dark 

 brown margins as rest of feathers of upper-parts. 



First winter. — Like adults, but always to be distinguished by 

 broader pale edgings to secondaries ancl spots at tips of greater 

 coverts ; also a fcAv juvenile body-feathers sometimes retained 

 The juvenile bocly-featliers, lesser and median wing-coverts and 

 innermost secondaries and greater coverts are moulted July-Sept., 

 but not tail-feathers nor primary-coverts nor rest of wing-feathers 

 nor greater wing-coverts. First summer. — A complete moult 

 takes place as in adults but rather later, extending until 

 April (except ionalh' May). New plumage indistinguishable from 

 adults. 



Measurements and structure. — (^ wing 81-89 mm., tail 58-63, 

 tarsus 13.5-16, bill from skull 13-14 (12 measured). $ wing 80-89. 

 Primaries : 1st equal to or 1-5 mm. longer than longest primary- 

 covert, 3rd and 4th longest, 2ncl and 5th 2-5 mm. shorter, 6th 

 9-13 shorter ; 3rd and 4th clearly, and 5th slightly, emarginated 

 outer webs. Secondaries between 9th and 10th primaries, tips 

 almost square. Tail almost square, central pair of feathers slightly 

 shorter than rest. Bill flat and broad at base, ta2")ering gradually 

 to fairly sharp point, upper mandible slightly hooked at tip. 

 Nostrils half covered with short feathers and some fine, short 

 bristles. A few long and fairly strong rictal bristles. Tarsal 

 joint feathered in front but bare at back. 



Soft 2>arts. — Bill black-horn, base of lower mandible browaiish 

 flesh ; legs and feet black ; iris dark bro\m. 



Characters and allied forms. — M. s. neumayini (West Siberia to 

 Baluchistan) is paler and often slightly longer in wing, and other 

 forms have been described. Spotted crown and streaked breast 

 distinguish this species from other British Flycatchers. 



Field -characters. — -Unobtrusively grey in colour, but unmis- 



