250 ALLEN s NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



blackish-brown, washed slightly with dark olive ; the tail black; 

 ear-coverts dark brown, with pale shaft-lines ; throat and chest 

 rufous, mottled with black, the feathers having longitudinal 

 black centres, widening out at the ends ; breast and rest of 

 under surface of body blackish. 



With age, the female bird becomes much greyer, especially 

 underneath, when the breast and abdomen are hoary-grey, 

 the throat whitish, regularly streaked with rows of brown spots ; 

 the chest pale rufous. The bill in old birds inclines to 

 yellow. 



Young, Rufous-brown, mottled with pale rufous centres to 

 the feathers of the upper parts, imparting a streaked ap- 

 pearance, less distinct on the head ; the median and greater 

 coverts like the back, and similarly streaked; greater-coverts 

 chocolate-brown ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills 

 blackish-brown ; lores rufous-brown ; ear-coverts dark brown, 

 with hair-like shafts of rufous ; cheeks and under surface of 

 body reddish-buff, the throat spotted with blackish-brown at 

 the tips of the feathers, the breast and sides of the body barred 

 with blackish-brown ; breast and abdomen uniform pale 

 rufous ; thighs brown ; under tail-coverts black, with rufous 

 tips. 



At first both male and female are alike, but the darker 

 colour of the former is shown after the autumn moult, when, 

 however, there are still some rufous mottlings on the throat 

 and chest. The bill also is black, and even when the birds 

 gain their entire black plumage, the young of the previous 

 year can always be recognised by the browner wings. 



Range in Great Britain. Generally distributed and breeding 

 everywhere throughout the three kingdoms, but only known as 

 an autumn and winter visitor to some of the Outer Hebrides 

 and the Shetland Isles. It is said to be gradually extending its 

 range northward in Scotland. 



Range outside the British Islands. Almost universally met with 

 throughout Europe, and inhabiting the whole of the countries 

 on both sides of the Mediterranean from Palestine on the east 

 to the Azores, the Canaries, and Madeira on the west. The 

 northern range of the Blackbird in Scandinavia extends up to 



