436 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



webs ; primary-coverts as primaries ; greater coverts as imier 

 secondaries ; median coverts with narrower whitish tips ; lesser 

 coverts same, but with still narrower whitish tips (some entirely 

 black). This plumage is acquired by complete moult in July- Aug. 

 Summer. — A moult usually confined to ear-coverts and chin but 

 occasionally extending to some feathers of throat and crown takes 

 place Dec. -Feb. As winter, but abrasion gradually makes fore-head 

 and fore-part of crown whiter and often quite white, but when very 

 much worn black bases of feathers begin to show, nape and mantle 

 gradually become pale sandy-buff and occasionally in very worn 

 examples white with remains of buff here and there, white tips 

 wear off tail-feathers and buff tips and edgings of wing -feathers, 

 Aving-coverts and axillaries gradually wear off making wings almost 

 uniform black except for whitish edgings of inner webs of wing- 

 feathers, under-parts become pale buff to almost pure white. 



Adult female. Winter. — Whole head, mantle and upper-back 

 sandy-bro^vn ; scapulars dark brown and buff-bro\vn ; lower-back, 

 rump and upper tail-coverts white ting d cream as in male ; lores 

 and feathers under eye browai (sometimes blackish), feathers with 

 greyish-white tips ; ear-coverts sandy-brown to dark broAvn and 

 occasionally blackish-bro%\ii ; chin and throat whitish-buff, feathers 

 with brown to black-broMai bases varying in extent, sometimes 

 entirely concealed, sometimes showing more or less ; rest of under- 

 parts as male but buff of breast less rich ; under wing-coverts, 

 axillaries, wing -feathers and all wing-coverts much browner black 

 than adult male and with wider and more brownish-buff edgings 

 and tips ; tail as adult male but black browner and extending 

 usually farther and very rarely broken up by white. Moult as 

 male. Summer. — Abrasion does not make any marked difference 

 as in adult male. Much of pale edgings on wings remains . Abrasion 

 reveals black-brown bases of feathers of chin and throat and this 

 becomes prominent in some examples. 



Nestling. — Down pale mouse-colour. Distribution, inner supra- 

 orbital, occipital, humeral, spinal and femoral (description from 

 partially feathered skin). 



Juvenile. — Feathers of whole head, mantle and upper-back 

 with pale buff to huffish -white centres with narrow brown tips 

 giving a spotted appearance ; rum2D and upper tail-coverts white ; 

 ear -coverts dark bro\\'n with pale buff shaft-streaks ; chin and 

 throat dull huffish -white, some feathers very slightly tipped brown ; 

 breast rather more buff, feathers with narrow bio^ai tips and edges ; 

 rest of under-parts pale buff ; axillaries black-brown with pale 

 buff tips ; tail as in adults ; wing-feathers, primary- and greater 

 coverts as adult female ; median and lesser wing-coverts black- 

 brown with long whitish-buff tips. 



First winter. Male. — Like adult male but uj^per -parts rather 

 browner and darker, not so bright, feathers of lores and ear -coverts 



