THE BRITISH DIPPER. 499 



parts including upper-tail coverts dark slate-grey, each feather 

 broadly edged black-brown giving a somewhat mottled appearance ; 

 lores and ear-coverts as crown ; short line immediately over eye and 

 a few feathers under eye whitish ; whole of chin, throat and upper- 

 breast white ; lower-breast and centre of belly chestnut -brown 

 but lower part of belly black-broAvn, feathers marked with varying 

 amount of rufous-brown and in very fresh plumage usually with 

 very narrow greyish-white tips ; flanks dark slate-grey marked 

 dark brown ; under tail-coverts dark slate-grey very narrowly 

 tipped greyish-white and with a narrow subterminal rufous band ; 

 axillaries and under wing-coverts black-brown narrowly tipped 

 whitish ; tail-feathers blackish slate-grey with a brownish tinge ; 

 Ming-feathers black-brown very narrowly tipped brownish-white, 

 inner webs narrowly edged greyish-white and outer webs slate- 

 grey, rather more broadly edged on innermost secondaries ; 

 primary-coverts black-brown very narrowly tipped pale brown ; 

 greater coverts black-brown outer webs edged slate-grey ; median 

 and lesser coverts black-brown tipped slate-grey. This plumage 

 is acquired by complete moult July-Sept. Summer. — No moult. 

 Abrasion of dark brown tips of feathers makes back, rump and 

 upper tail-coverts paler slate-grey, chocolate-brown of crown and 

 nape becomes paler, chestnut of breast becomes paler, while paler 

 tips of feathers of vent, under tail-<;overts and wing-feathers wear 

 off as well as slate-grey edgings of wing-coverts, but there is no 

 very marked difference. 



Nestling. — Dowti dark smoke-grey, long and plentifid. Distri- 

 bution, inner supra -orbital, occipital, humeral and spinal. Mouth 

 inside orange-yellow, no spots, externally flanges whitish yellow. 



Juvenile. — Whole upper-parts dark slate-grey, feathers fringed 

 black-brown ; chin, throat and upper-breast white, each feather 

 tipped black-brown, lower-breast same but feathers also with, 

 black-brown mesial streaks and feathers of belly brownish 

 slate-grey with only the tips white fringed black-brown ; under 

 tail-coverts cinnamon-buff tipped and marked black-brown ; 

 axillaries and under %ving-coverts dark slate broadly margined 

 Avhite ; tail-feathers as adult ; wing-feathers and wing-coverts as 

 adult, but (except for lesser coverts) with whitish tips. 



First winter and summer. Male and female. — Like adults but 

 easily distinguished by whitish tips of wing-feathers especially 

 secondaries and those of innermost greater wing-coverts and also 

 by feathers of lower-breast and belly having more conspicuous 

 greyish -white tips ; some feathers of throat and upper-breast often 

 have narrow and inconspicuous brown fringes but not always. 

 These distinctions although quite clear in fresh plumage cannot 

 usually be traced in summer owing to the tips being abraded. The 

 juvenile body -feathers, lesser and median wing-coverts and inner- 

 most two to four greater coverts are moulted July-Sept, but not 

 wing- or tail-feathers, primary -co verts nor rest of greater coverts. 



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