296 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



and crown brown without greyish tinge ; lores huffish -white, 

 ear-coverts and sides of neck pale brown ; chin, throat and upper- 

 breast cream-bufF to tawny-bufE, indistinctly flecked brown. 

 Moult as male. Summer. — Moult as male. Abrasion makes 

 crown paler brown and under-parts whiter, not so buff. 



Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. — Feathers of upper -parts, including lores and ear- 

 coverts, with rufous-buS centres and narrow dark brown edgings 

 giving a spotted appearance ; rump paler than rest of upper- 

 parts ; chin and throat pale buff, slightly flecked brown ; breast 

 deeper and more yellowish-buff, most of the feathers lightly tipped 

 dusky-brown ; flanks yellowish-buff ; beUy and under tail-coverts 

 white ; tail as adult ; wing-feathers as adult but innermost 

 secondaries with small rufous-buff spots at tip ; greater and 

 median coverts with larger buff spots at tip. 



First winter. Male and female. — Like adult winter female 

 but with buff spots at tips of imiermost secondaries, greater coverts 

 and occasionally some inner median coverts. The juvemle body- 

 feathers, lesser and most median wing-coverts are moulted in 

 Aug., but not tail- or wing-feathers or rest of wing-coverts. 

 Shimmer. — Moult as adults after which like adults except for 

 traces of buff tips to imier secondaries and wing-coverts and in 

 male red of breast is apparently usually less extensive. 



Measurements and structure. — (^ wing 66-71 mm., tail 49-55, 

 tarsus 17-18, bill from skull 9.5-10.5 (12 measured). $ wing 

 64-70. Primaries : 1st 3-6 mm., shorter than longest primary- 

 covert, 3rd and 4th longest, 2nd 6-8 shorter, 5th 1-2 shorter, 6th 

 3-6 shorter ; 3rd to 5th emarginated outer webs. Secondaries 

 slightly shorter than 10th primary, tips almost square. Bill 

 and other structure as in Spotted Flycatcher. 



Soft 'parts. — Bill brown ; legs and feet dark brown ; iris 

 dark brown. 



Characters and allied forms. — In M. p. albicilla (eastern 

 Siberia, Kamtschatka) adult male has red restricted to chin and 

 throat, upper-breast being gre}^, and female and first winter male 

 have chin whiter and throat and breast browaier, less yelloAvish- 

 buff than in M. p. parva ; M. p. hyperythra (Kashmir) is darker. 

 Uniform brown of upper-parts and white bases of tail-feathers 

 distinguish it from other British Flycatchers. 



Field -characters. — White base of tail and small size apart 

 from orange-red throat of adult male should be easily observable 

 characteristics. It is shy and secretive, but has the habits of a 

 true Flycatcher. The song is very varied. Fine bell-like notes, 

 " tink, tink, tink — ida, ida," are frequent, as well as a flute-like 

 " diu, diu, diu," often connected with whirring passages. Call- 

 note is reminiscent of notes of Wren or Mistle-Thrush but less 

 loud. (E.H.) 



