THE WHEATEAR. 427 



and often whitish ; median and lesser-coverts black tipped 

 white to creamy-buff. This plumage is acquired by complete 

 moult July-Aug. Summer. — A moult usually confined to the 

 body -feathers takes place Jan. -Feb., but occasionally innermost 

 greater wing-coverts and rarely innermost secondary are moulted. 

 New plumage as winter but upper -parts more french-gi-ey, buffish- 

 brown tips and edgings being smaller ; breast rather brighter buff ; 

 belly white ; innermost greater covert (when renewed) edged 

 f rench-grey and tipped buff. Abrasion of tips and edgings of feathers 

 makes wing-feathers and coverts gradually jet-black and usually 

 by January there are few edgings left and tips of tail-feathers are 

 worn off ; in winter plumage, and more markedly in summer, abrasion 

 gradually makes fore -head white, eye -stripe more conspicuous, 

 upper-parts pure french-grey, ear-coverts black and under-parts 

 white and sometimes almost pure white with only tinge of buff 

 on breast. 



Adult female. Winter. — Whole upjier-parts, except rump and 

 upper tail-coverts which are white, brown (varying from rufous 

 brown to buffish-brown) ; eye-stripe pale cream ; lores dusky : 

 ear-coveits brown ; chin pale cream ; throat pale buff ; breast 

 deeper buff ; rest of under-paits creamy-buff (buff of under-parts 

 varies in intensity) ; tail, wing-feathers and ^v^ng-coverts as adult 

 male but dark brown not black and edgings and tips especialh- 

 of wing-coverts, darker and browiiish-buff to buff, never whitish. 

 Slimmer. — Moult as in male, after which upper-parts become greyer- 

 brown, eye-stripe white, lores darker (occasionally brown-black), 

 ear-coverts darker brown and under-parts paler buff. Abrasion 

 causes upper-parts to become grey but never so pure a grey as in 

 adult male, pale edgings wear off wings. 



Nestling. — Down, dark grey, long and fairly plentiful except 

 on femoral. Distribution, inner supra-orbital, occipital, humeral, 

 spinal and femoral and some veiy short filaments on caudal tract. 

 Lower portion of spinal tract without down. Mouth inside pale 

 orange, no spots ; externally flanges very pale yelloAv. 



Juvenile. Male and female. — Upper-j)arts greyish- to buffish- 

 brown, each feather with pale subtermin^l spct and narroAV dark 

 brown tip ; rump and upper tail-coverts white to creamy-white, 

 feathers usually tipped very narrowly dark brown ; slight indication 

 of creamy eye-stripe ; ear-coverts buff edged and tipped brown : 

 chin and throat creamy-white and breast rather darker buffish- 

 cream, feathers lightly tipped bro\Mi, giving a somewhat mottled 

 appearance ; belly and under tail-coveits pale cream Avith scarcely 

 any dark tips ; tail-feathers, wing-feathers and greater wing- 

 coverts as adult female but lesser and median coverts with pale 

 cream wedge-shaped spots at tips. 



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

 and neither sex seems distinguishable, occasionallj^ some of the 



