THE LESSER WHITETHROAT. 373 



feathers dark greyish-brown with greyish-white fringes and tips, 

 outermost pair with outer web white and varying amount of white 

 or brownish -white on inner web ; wing-feathers dark brown, inner 

 webs narrowly fringed white, outer webs fringed pale greyish-brown, 

 innermost secondaries greyish-brown ; primary-coverts dark brown 

 with greyish-brown fringes and tips ; greater coverts grey-brown 

 with paler fringes ; median and lesser coverts brown with brownish- 

 grey fringes and tips. This plumage is acquired by complete moult 

 July-Aug. Summer. — The body -feathers, four innermost secondaries, 

 lesser and median wing-coverts, often central pair of tail-feathers, 

 and rarely whole tail are moulted Jan. -Feb. (occasionally March- 

 April), but not primary-coverts, greater wing-coverts or rest of wing- 

 feathers. New plumage as winter. In worn plumage under-parts 

 lose pinkish-buff tinge and wing- and tail-feathers lose most of 

 the fringes. 



Nestlmg. — Down absent. Mouth inside bright orange-yellow, 

 a brownish-black spot on each side at base of tongue ; externally 

 flanges pale yellow. 



Juvenile. — Like adults, but crown like rest of upper -parts dingy 

 grey-brown, feathers with slate-grey bases ; chin, throat, sides of 

 neck and belly more dingy -white ; breast, flanks and under tail- 

 coverts pale bufflsh -brown ; tail- and wing-feathers and greater 

 wing -co verts fringed with darker and less grey-brown, median and 

 lesser wing-coverts browner and less grey. 



First winter. — As adult, but edges of wing- and tail-feathers as 

 in juvenile, darker and browner than in adult ; upper -parts also a 

 shade browner and less greyish-brown, but these distinctions dis- 

 appear in worn plumage. The juvenile body -plumage and wing- 

 coverts are moulted June-Aug., but not primary-coverts, wing- 

 or tail-feathers. First summer. — Moult as adult. 



Measurements and structure. — ^ wing 63-70 mm., tail 52-56, 

 tarsus 20-21, bill from skull 10.5-12 (12 measured). $ wing 60-67. 

 Primaries : 1st 2-6 mm. longer than longest primary -co vert, 3rd 

 and 4th longest, 2nd 2-4 shorter usually between 5th and 6th but 

 sometimes as long as 5th and sometimes as short as 6th, 5th .5-2 

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

 of structure as Whitethroat. 



Soft parts. — Bill slate-black, base of lower mandible paler ; 

 legs and feet dark bluish-lead colour ; iris pale brown. 



Characters and allied forms. — S. c. affinis (Siberia, Manchuria) 

 is like typical form but has 2nd primary always shorter than 6th 

 and sometimes between 7th and 8th ; S. c. minula (Afghanistan, 

 eastern Turkestan) like S. c. affinis but smaUer and with considerably 

 paler upper-parts ; S. c. halimodendri (south-eastern Kirghiz Steppe) 

 said to be like last but with longer bill, more brownish-grey and less 

 sandy back and darker crown. Want of bright rufous edgings to 

 secondaries and greater coverts and smaUer size distinguish it from 



