76 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



DESCRIPTION. Adult male. Winter. Fore-head, crown, nape, 

 lores, and chin glossy blue-black ; back of neck blue-grey ; mantle, 

 scapulars, and back same but slightly tinged yellowish-brovvn and 

 sometimes marked pink ; rump white ; upper tail-coverts glossy 

 blue-black ; ear-coverts, sides of neck, throat, breast, and flanks 

 varying rosy-pink to pinkish-red ; lower-belly, vent, under tail- 

 coverts, and axillaries white ; tail black, central pair and outer 

 webs of rest glossy ; primaries greyish-black, fringed black on 

 outer, and greyish- white on inner webs ; secondaries same but 

 outer webs fringed glossy blue-black, two inner secondaries all 

 glossy blue-black and innermost with outer web grey usually 

 marked pinkish-red ; primary-coverts greyish-black ; lesser and 

 median coverts blue-grey ; greater coverts glossy blue-black, inner 

 ones tipped pale blue-grey, outer buffish-white. This plumage 

 is acquired by complete moult in Aug. -Oct. Summer. No 

 moult, and very little change by abrasion except that mantle 

 becomes purer blue-grey. 



Adult female. Winter. Head as male but less bluish ; back 

 of neck brownish-grey ; mantle, scapulars, and back dark 

 yellowish-brown, tinged grey ; upper tail-coverts glossy blue- 

 black ; rump, vent, under tail-coverts and axillaries white ; ear- 

 coverts, sides of neck, and under-parts pinkish-brown to buffish- 

 brown ; tail as male (often with dull white streak along shaft 

 of outer feathers) ; wings as male but lesser and median coverts 

 darker, tips of greater coverts more buff less grey, and pink 

 on innermost secondary not so bright and extensive. Summer. 

 No moult. When much abraded mantle and back become 

 greyer, less brown, and under-parts become paler. 



Nestling. Down, blackish-grey, abundant and long ; distri- 

 bution, inner supra -orbital, occipital, humeral, spinal, ulnar, 

 femoral, ventral, and crural. Mouth, inside violet-red, no spots, 

 flanges whitish (C. B. T^icehuist, Brit. B., n, 193). 



Juvenile. Male and female. Resembling adult female but 

 head brown like mantle, which is darker than in adult female; 

 rump white, tinged buff ; lores and chin yellow-brown and whole of 

 under-parts same and more yellowish than adult female ; vent 

 and under tail-coverts pale buff ; axillaries white ; wing-feathers 

 as adult but innermost secondary marked brown not pink ; lesser 

 wing-coverts as mantle ; median tipped brown ; greater tipped 

 deep buff. 



First winter and summer. Like adults. The juvenile body- 

 feathers, wing-coverts, and innermost secondaries are moulted 

 in Aug. to Oct. but not remiges, primary - coverts, or 

 rectrices. 



Measurements and structure. < wing 78-84 mm., tail 56-62, 

 tarsus 15-17, bill from feathers 8-9 (14 measured). $ wing 78-83. 

 Primaries : 1st minute and hidden. 3rd, 4th, and 5th about equal 

 and longest, 2nd about 4mm. shorter, 6th about equal to or a 



