396 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



each feather with a slightly darker shaft -streak ; back, rump and 

 upper tail-coverts same but feathers edged with yellowish-buff 

 and most of upper tail-coverts tipped greyish-white ; lores and 

 feathers round eyes greyish -white ; ear -co verts pale buff to whitish 

 with dull brown tips and edges ; chin and centre of throat buffish- 

 white with a few small black-brown wedge-shaped spots ; sides of 

 throat and neck rather buffer, with more numerous and larger spots ; 

 upper-breast with very large wedge-shaped spots varying in size and 

 rest of under-parts vnih rounder spots, upper-breast and flanks 

 strongly washed yello^vish-buff , centre of breast and belly whiter and 

 latter with much smaller spots ; under tail -coverts with broAvn bases 

 and edges and bufiish -white tips and shaft -streaks ; axillaries white 

 with sometimes a dark spot at tip of one or two feathers ; under 

 wing-coverts white ; tail-feathers greyish-brown narrowly edged 

 greyish-buff on outer webs and greyish-white on inner webs, outer- 

 most pair with white tips and varying amount of white or greyish- 

 white on inner webs, next two pairs with much smaller white tips 

 on inner webs ; primaries dark bro^ai with outer webs narrowly 

 edged greyish-buff, becoming white towards tips, basal portion of 

 inner webs white ; secondaries same but outer webs more widely 

 fringed creamy-buff and innermost feathers with white or whitish 

 tips ; primary-coverts dark brown, narrowly edged creamy or 

 greyish-white ; greater coverts rather paler brown with outer 

 webs more widely fringed huffish -cream to greyish-white ; median 

 coverts brown wdth buffish-cream to greyish-white tips ; lesser 

 coverts uniform brown. This plumage is acquired by complete 

 moult Aug.-Oct. (N.B. — Amount of buff on under-parts and 

 greyish tinge on upper-parts as well as colour of edgings of wing- 

 feathers and wing -coverts varies individually, even in fresh plumage.) 

 Summer.- — No true moult, but a few body -feathers are frequently 

 renewed Jan. -March. Abrasion makes upper-parts greyer-brown 

 and under-parts less buff, and edgings of wing-feathers and coverts 

 wear off or become whiter. 



Nestling. — Down, buffish-white, plentiful and fairly long. 

 Distribution, inner and occasionally outer supra-orbital, occipital, 

 spinal, humeral and ulnar. Mouth, inside bright yellow, no tongue- 

 spots ; externally flanges pale j^ellow. 



Juvenile. — Whole crown, nape, back and rvimp usually buffish- 

 brown but sometimes greyish -brown or tinged olivaceous, each 

 feather with a darker tip and creamy-buff to whitish centre ; 

 mantle and scapulars darker with larger and more conspicuous 

 pale centres ; upper tail -coverts like rump but with less conspicuous 

 pale centres and pale tips ; under-parts much as adult but chin 

 and centre of throat usually with no spots at all and spots on rest 

 of under-parts rather smaller ; tail as adult ; primaries, secondaries, 

 primary and greater coverts as adult but edgings of outer webs 

 more yellowish-buff and inner greater coverts with wedge-shaped 



