178 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



culmen, 0-9; wing, 6-3; tail, 2-45; tarsus, 0*95; middle toe 

 and claw, i. 



Young Birds. General colour above dusky-brown, all the 

 feathers edged with sandy-buff or rufous ; wings and tail as in 

 the adult ; crown of head dark brown, streaked with sandy- 

 buff, the margins of the feathers being of this colour; tail- 

 feathers white, with a broad sub-terminal band of black, de- 

 creasing in extent towards the outermost feathers, all the 

 feathers tipped with sandy-buff; throat and under surface of 

 body white ; the lower throat, fore-neck, sides of neck, and 

 sides of breast mottled with dusky-blackish centres to the 

 feathers, marking the black pattern of the adults, even the 

 semi-lunar neck-band of the adults being indicated by a broad 

 crescentic band of sandy-buff in the young. 



Winter Plumage of the Adult. Above nearly uniform dusky- 

 brown, but not showing the tawny-rufous margins to the 

 feathers of the upper surface, the edges being ashy-brown. 

 The head is uniform brown like the back ; the hind-neck and 

 sides of neck are ashy, mottled with dusky centres to the 

 feathers ; sides of face brown, with more or less white on the 

 ear-coverts ; the black markings on the cheeks and throat as 

 in the breeding bird, but the white semi-lunar band on the 

 sides of the neck replaced by a patch of light brown. 



The difference between the winter plumage of the adult and 

 the first full plumage of the young birds consists in the sandy- 

 buff margins to the feathers of the upper surface, which are 

 very distinct in the latter at first. Afterwards they become 

 abraded, and then there is scarcely any distinguishing mark be- 

 tween the winter plumages of the adult and young. In the spring 

 the red plumage is very rapidly acquired, and I believe that it 

 is gained quite as much by the change in the pattern of the 

 feather as by a direct moult. 



Eange in Great Britain. Although up to the present moment 

 there is no authentic instance of the breeding of the Turn-stone 

 in Great Britain, it is by no means improbable that the species 

 does nest with us. Although a few remain during the winter 

 in the milder parts of Southern England, the Turn-stone must 

 be regarded as a migrant, principally in spring and autumn, on 

 its way to and from its northern breeding quarters, coming 



