102 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



chestnut-buff ; greater coverts as inner secondaries but fringes 

 rather deeper chestnut ; median coverts black at base, with long 

 buffish-white tips forming wing-bar ; lesser wing-coverts chestnut. 

 This plumage is acquired by complete moult in Aug.-Oct. 

 Summer. No moult. Abrasion of buff fringes makes crown and 

 nape pure French -grey, back and rump greyer but always browner 

 than crown, mantle brighter, chestnut behind eye and on sides 

 and back of neck more uniform, brighter and more extensive, 

 ear-coverts, sides of neck and greater wing-coverts whiter, black 

 of chin and throat uniform, and more extended on breast by 

 wearing-off of white tips to feathers. 



Adult female. Winter. Fore-head, crown, nape, back of neck, 

 back, rump, and upper tail-coverts uniform blown, tinged olive ; 

 mantle and scapulars like male but without chestnut ; streak 

 behind eye brownish-buff ; below it and patch on sides of neck 

 dark brown ; ear-coverts, breast, and flanks greyish-brown, tinged 

 buff ; chin and belly whiter ; centre of throat whitish, often with 

 faint blackish mark (feathers of under-parts with more decided 

 shaft-streaks than in male) ; under tail-coverts as male ; axillaries 

 buffish-white ; tail, primaries, and secondaries as male but edgings 

 paler ; greater coverts fringed and tipped buff ; median coverts 

 with narrow whitish-buff tips ; lesser coverts brown. Summer. 

 No moult. Abrasion makes streaking of mantle more marked, 

 ashy -black mark on centre of throat stronger and rest of under-parts 

 rather paler. 



Nestling. Down, absent. Mouth, inside pinkish-yellow, no 

 tongue-spots ; externally, flanges pale yellow. 



Juvenile. Male and female. Like adult female but crown 

 and rump faintly mottled dark brown, mantle, wings, and tail 

 paler, throat and belly white, but in male more decidedly tinged 

 ashy-black in centre of throat. 



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

 in male more white on tips of feathers of chin. The juvenile- 

 plumage is completely (including wings and tail) moulted in 

 Sept.-Oct. 



Measurements and structure. < wing 72-81 mm., tail 54-58, 

 tarsus 17-20, bill from skull 12-13 (40 British measured). $ wing 

 71-76. Primaries : 1st minute (larger in juvenile), 2nd to 4th nearly 

 equal and longest, 5th 1-2 mm. shorter, 6th 5-7 shorter ; 3rd to 5th 

 emarginated on outer webs. Secondaries between 8th and 10th 

 .primaries, tips square, slightly notched. Tail slightly forked. 

 Bill thick, tapering sharply at point. Few small rictal bristles 

 and small bristle-like feathers covering nostrils. 



Soft parts. Bill black (< summer), horn-brown, more yellow 

 at base (<$ Oct. to Jan. and ), yellow tip, brownish -black base 

 (juv.) ; legs and feet pale brown ; iris hazel. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. Male of P. d. biblicus (Syria) is 

 slightly larger and paler, P. d. tingitanm (north-west Africa) with 



