288 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY 



Rutidlla titys, Newt. ed. Yarr., i., p. 333 (1873) ; Dresser, B. 

 Eur., ii., p. 293, pi. 44 (1874); B. O. U. List Br. B., p. 9 

 (1883); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B., pt. i (1885); Saunders, 

 Man., p. 33 (1889). 



Adult Male. General colour above clear slaty-grey, the rump 

 and upper tail-coverts bright orange-chestnut ; wing-coverts 

 black, edged with slaty-grey, the tips of the greater series lighter ; 

 bastard-wing black ; quills blackish, externally edged with hoary 

 grey, the secondaries with white, forming a large wing-patch ; 

 tail-feathers orange-chestnut, darker on the outer web ; the two 

 centre tail-feathers dark brown, rufous towards the base of the 

 outer web ; head like the back, a little lighter towards the fore- 

 head, the base of which is black, like the lores, feathers round 

 the eye, ear-coverts, sides of face, throat, and breast, the latter 

 with grey margins to the feathers ; sides of body and flanks 

 slaty-grey, the centre of the abdomen whitish ; lower flanks pale 

 cinnamon, as also the under tail-coverts ; thighs black ; axil- 

 laries grey, with whitish tips ; under wing-coverts black, edged 

 with hoary grey ; quills dusky brown below, ashy-whitish along 

 the inner web ; bill and feet black ; iris brown. Total length, 

 3-2 inches; culmen, 0-55 ; wing, 3-4 ; tail, 2-3 ; tarsus, 0-9. 



Adult Female. Different from the male. Uniform slaty- 

 brown, with a slight tinge of olive above; only the upper tail - 

 coverts chestnut ; wings like the back, the quills edged with 

 ashy-brown ; tail-feathers chestnut, brown at the tips and 

 towards the end of the outer web; the two centre feathers 

 dark brown ; ear-coverts a little darker brown than the head ; 

 eyelid whitish ; under surface of body slaty-brown, lighter than 

 the upper surface, the abdomen paler ; under tail-coverts cin- 

 namon ; under wing-coverts and axillaries slaty-brown like the 

 breast. Total length, 6 inches ; culmen, 0*5 ; wing, 3-45 ; tail, 

 2-35 ; tarsus, 0-95. 



The young males appear to resemble the old females during 

 their first winter, and remain perfectly uniform like the hen 

 birds. The summer plumage is gained by the shedding of the 

 grey edges of the feathers, which leave the black face and breast 

 without any moult. In fact, the black seems to spread over 

 the feathers gradually, as spring approaches, as there is no 

 sign of it in the young males which are killed in early winter. 



