THE MEADOW- OR BOCK-BUNTING. 125 



tipped buffish-white ; lesser tipped grey. This plumage is acquired 

 by complete moult in early autumn. Summer. No moult. 

 Abrasion makes crown, sides of head and throat purer grey, buff 

 tinge being worn off. 



Adult female. Winter. Like male but browner and more 

 streaked crown ; paler, not so chestnut, mantle ; browner ear- 

 coverts ; throat and breast more tinged buff and faintly spotted ; 

 rest of under-parts rather paler than male. Summer. Abrasion 

 makes crown and ear-coverts greyer, approaching winter plumage 

 of male, and spots mostly wear off throat and breast, which are 

 always rather less pure grey than in male. 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Crown brownish-buff, streaked black ; mantle more 

 chestnut-brown and broadly streaked ; rump and upper tail- 

 coverts chestnut, finely streaked black ; eye-stripe pale buff, 

 speckled black ; ear-coverts buffish-brown ; throat buff and upper- 

 breast and flanks rufous-buff, spotted and streaked black -brown ; 

 centre of breast, belly and under tail-coverts uniform buff ; tail 

 and wings as adult ; greater and median wing-coverts with smaller 

 buffish-white tips divided centrally by black-brown ; lesser coverts 

 browner, narrowly tipped dull grey. 



First winter and summer. Male. Like adult female but 

 slightly greyer on crown and slightly more chestnut on mantle. 

 The juvenile body -plumage and wing -coverts are moulted in early 

 autumn but not rest of wings and tail. Female. Like adult 

 female, but crown buffish-brown, streaked black with only bases 

 of feathers grey; eye-stripe inconspicuous buff; ear-coverts 

 buffish -brown ; throat and breast heavily washed buff and much 

 speckled dark brown ; flanks slightly streaked. 



Measurements and structure. ^ wing 81-85 mm., tail 73-78, 

 tarsus 18-20, bill from skull 10-11.5 (12 measured). $ wing 75-81. 

 Primaries : 1st minute and hidden, 3rd to 5th usually equal and 

 longest, 2nd 3-6 mm. shorter, 6th 1-4 shorter ; 3rd to 6th emargi- 

 nated outer webs. Other structure as E. citrinella. 



Soft parts. Bill dark lead ; legs and feet brownish-straw ; 

 iris dark brown. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. E. c. africana (north-west 

 Africa) is rather paler on throat and under-parts with grey of 

 throat not extending so far down breast, E. c. par (mid- Asia } 

 larger, paler mantle, reddish-brown tips to median wing-coverts, 

 E. c. stracheyi (Himalayas) darker upper- and under-parts, tips 

 of median coverts as in E. c. par, E. c. godlewskii (east Siberia) 

 larger, sides of crown chestnut, grey of crown and throat bluer. 

 Except in juvenile ash-grey throat distinguishes it from all other 

 British Buntings except E. cioides castaneiceps, which has chestnut 

 ear-coverts. Juvenile only to be distinguished from juvenile 

 E. cioides castaneiceps by whitish tips to median coverts (this 



