370 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



lower-throat and upper-breast pale buffish-pink ; flanks darker 

 and more buff, sometimes tinged pink ; centre of lower-breast and 

 belly white ; under tail-coverts buff with white tips ; axillaries 

 and under wing-coverts pale brown with white fringes and tips ; 

 tail-feathers dark brown with narrow fringes and tips of very pale 

 brown, outermost pair with outer web and most of inner web white 

 (pure white or clouded with brown varying individually), pen- 

 ultimate pair with whiter tip than rest ; wing-feathers dark brown 

 tipped pale brown and edged on inner webs white, outer webs of 

 primaries very narrowly edged white on 2nd primary and pale 

 rufous-brown on rest, outer webs of secondaries more broadly 

 edged rufous-brown, innermost secondaries broadly tipped and 

 edged on both webs bright rufous-brown ; primary-coverts as 

 primaries ; greater coverts as innermost secondaries ; median 

 coverts tipped paler rufous-brown ; lesser coverts tipped slate-grey. 

 This plumage is acquired by complete moult Aug. -Sept. (occasion- 

 ally Oct. -Nov.). Summer. — A complete moult usually takes place 

 Jan.-Feb. (occasionally March-April) but some individuals moult 

 only partially. New feathers as winter, but crown and ear-coverts 

 greyer. Abrasion makes crown purer grey, rest of upper-parts 

 more greyish-brown, edgings of inner secondaries and greater 

 coverts paler, less bright rufous. 



Adult female. Winter. — Like adult male but crown brown, 

 lesser wing-coverts brown not tipped grey, breast brownish-buff, 

 sometimes with a slight tinge of pink, flanks without any pink 

 tinge, white of outer tail-feathers duller and more brownish. 

 Summer. — Slightly greyish on crown and ear-coverts but not so 

 grey as male, pink tinge on breast more pronounced than in Avinter. 



Nestling. — Down absent. Mouth inside pink posteriorly, 

 edges yellow, two lateral dark spots on tongue-spurs and two darkish 

 marks at tip of tongue, externally flanges pale yellow. 



Juvenile. — Like adult female winter, but upper-parts rather 

 darker, chin and belly dull white, breast and flanks darker bufflsh- 

 brown than adult female (breast never with pink), median and 

 lesser wing-coverts more yellowish brown, white of outer tail- 

 feathers more dirty and brownish. 



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

 but without any tinge of pink on breast, outer tail-feathers as 

 juvenile. The juvenile body-plumage, lesser and median wing- 

 coverts and some innermost secondaries are moulted July-Sept, 

 (occasionally Oct. -Nov.), but not greater coverts, primary-coverts, 

 rest of wing-feathers or tail. First summer. Male. — Moult as 

 adult, after which becomes greyer on ciown and ear-coverts, and 

 pinkish on breast, but not so grey or pink as adult male but like 

 adult female summer. First summer. Female. — No grey on 

 crown nor pink on breast. 



Measurements and structure.— ^ wing 69-75 (one 79) mm., 

 tail 58-64, tarsus 21-23, bill from skuU 12-13.5 (12 measured). 



