412 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



at tip ; median coverts with more pronounced greyish-white tips 

 extending wedge-shaped np shafts ; lesser coverts with whitish 

 me si a] streaks. 



First winter. Male. — SomeAvhat intermediate between adult 

 male and adult female. Upper-joarts usually more brown as in 

 female, but sometimes as grey-brown as some adult males ; crown 

 with less black as in adult female ; black of lores and over eye with 

 more grey fringes than in adult male ; feathers of chin, throat and 

 breast with wider Avhite fringes, those of chin esiDccially being 

 often mostly white with only black streaks, but these jDarts with 

 more black than in adult female ; rest of plumage as adult male 

 but unmoulted greater Aving-coverts greyish-white at tips of outer 

 webs. The juvenile body-feathers, lesser and median wing-coverts 

 and varying number of inner greater coverts are moulted Aug. -Sept., 

 but not wing- or tail-feathers, primar3''-coverts nor rest of greater 

 wing -co verts. Summer. — Abrasion makes throat and breast darker 

 OAving to Avearing off of white tips, but ne\^er so dark as in adult male. 



First winter. Female. — Like adult female and difficult to 

 distinguish except by paler and more prominent tips of greater 

 Aving-coverts ; breast usually greyer and Avith less broAv^n-black 

 than in adult and loAAcr-breast and sides usually Avith more smoke- 

 broAvn and more streaked than adult female and much more so than 

 in male. (N.B. — Occasional examples, irrespectiA'e of age and sex, 

 are almost as rufous on the tail as examples of T. r. ruficollis and have 

 also a considerable amount of rufous marks on throat and breast.) 



Measurements and structure. — (^ wing 132-142 mm., tail 93-105, 

 tarsus 32-34, bill from skull 21-24 (12 measured). $ wing 128-135. 

 Primaries : 1st 10-15 mm. shorter than primary -co verts, 3rd and 

 4th longest (4th rarely 1-2 ram. shorter), 2nd 5-7 shorter, 5th 3-10 

 shorter (5th often equal to 2nd, but somcAA^hat A^ariable), 6th 16-22 

 shorter ; 3rd to 5th emarginated outer Avebs. Outermost tail- 

 feathers only slightly shorter than the rest, 12 feathers. Other 

 structure as in White's Thrush. 



Soft 'parts. — Bill dark broAvn Avith yelloAV base ; legs and feet 

 dark broAvn ; iris dark broAAai. 



Characters and allied forms. — In T. r. ruficollis (east Siberia) 

 tail-feathers are rufous except for central pair, in male throat and 

 breast are rufous instead of black, females are very similar to 

 females of T. r. atrogularis except for rufous tail-feathers and usuallj^ 

 rufous tinge on feathers of breast. From other British Thrushes 

 T. r. atrogularis may be distinguished by black of throat and breast, 

 rusty -buff of axillaries, rniiform upper-parts, absence of rufous on 

 upper side of Avings, and absence of distinct eye-stripe. 



Breeding-habits. — Breeds in pine-forests, nesting in small trees, 

 close to trunk, from 3 to 6 feet high. Nest. — Like Blackbird's, built 

 of coarse, dry grass, lined mud, and inner layer of dry flat grasses. 

 Eggs. — 4-6, rather A^ariable, some being of Blackbird type, but Avith 



