116 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



axillaries pale yellow ; tail black -brown very narrowly fringed buff, 

 and at base more broadly yellowish, outermost pair with faint 

 indication of wedge-shaped mark ; wing-feathers black-brown very 

 narrowly edged buff, inner secondaries broadly fringed buffish or 

 chestnut-brown ; greater coverts fringed and tipped buff ; median 

 coverts tipped whitish -buff ; lesser coverts chestnut and brown, 

 tipped buff. This plumage is acquired by a complete moult 

 from July to Nov. or Dec. Summer. No moult. Abrasion of 

 tips of feathers gradually makes head entirely black, mantle 

 uniform chestnut, and under-parts bright canary-yellow, narrow 

 yellow collar at back of neck and chestnut patches on breast 

 more prominent. 



Adult female. Winter. Crown brown, streaked black ; mantle 

 brown and chestnut-brown, lightly streaked black-brown ; scapulars 

 mostly brown without chestnut ; rump as in male, but duller ; 

 ear-coverts brown ; under-parts paler and more buff than in male ; 

 axillaries huffish-white, tinged yellow. Summer. Mantle becomes 

 rather more uniform chestnut-brown, but never so bright and 

 uniform as in male, and under-parts become yellower but never 

 so bright as in male. 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Crown sandy-buff, with short streaks or spots of 

 black ; mantle broadly streaked brown-black, feathers broadly 

 edged and tipped buff ; rump and upper tail-coverts sandy-buff, 

 lightly streaked brown-black ; ear-coverts sandy-buff ; chin, throat, 

 and belly pale buff ; breast and flanks rather darker, with sometimes 

 a few narrow brown streaks ; under tail-coverts buffish-yellow ; 

 axillaries buff, tinged yellow ; tail- and wing-feathers as adult but 

 with broader buff fringes ; inner secondaries and all wing-coverts 

 broadly fringed and tipped sandy-buff. 



First winter and summer. Male. Like adult and apparently 

 indistinguishable, though some specimens with brown feathers 

 amongst chestnut of mantle and brownish- or yellowish-buff 

 ear-coverts may be first-summer birds, though undoubtedly adults 

 sometimes have such feathers. The juvenile plumage is completely 

 (including wings and tail) moulted in June-Dec. Female. Differs 

 from adult in crown and mantle being brown, streaked black -brown ; 

 rump tinged greenish-yellow ; throat and breast pale buff ; flanks 

 rather darker ; centre of belly tinged yellow ; under tail-coverts 

 yellow as adult ; axillaries whitish-buff. 



Measurements and structure. <$ wing 92-98 mm., tail 70-74, 

 tarsus 21-23, bill from skull 13-15 (12 measured). $ wing 84-90. 

 Primaries : 1st minute and hidden, 3rd usually longest, 2nd 

 and 4th as long or 1-2 mm. shorter, 5th 4-5 shorter, 6th 10-12 

 shorter ; 3rd to 5th emarginated outer webs. Other structure as 

 E. citrinella. 



Soft parts. Bill : lead-blue, under mandible greyer ; legs and 

 feet dark flesh ; iris brown. 



