134 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Adult female. Winter. Similar to adult male but feathers 

 of crown buffish-brown with black centres, sides of crown more 

 chestnut-brown ; back of neck with no white visible ; rump much 

 browner less grey ; stripe over and behind eye buff ; ear-coverts 

 rufous-brown mixed with blackish ; chin and throat buff with 

 black and reddish-black malar stripes ; breast and flanks same 

 streaked black and reddish-brown ; rest of under -parts more buff 

 than male. Summer. Moult in same regions and time as male, 

 but apparently less complete, and new feathers coloured much as 

 old ones. Abrasion gradually makes crown darker but never 

 uniform black, narrow greyish-white collar at back of neck appears 

 in much worn spec miens, rump becomes rather greyer, streaks on 

 breast and flanks more prominent and under-parts whiter but not 

 pure white as in male. 



Nestling. Down sooty-black ; fairly long and abundant ; 

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

 femoral, crural, and ventral (very sparse and sometimes absent). 

 Mouth, inside deep pink, spurs and tip of tongue whitish, no spots ; 

 externally, flanges yellowish -white. 



Juvenile. Like adult female but more boldly streaked upper- 

 parts with feather edges paler, whitish or yellowish-buff ; rump and 

 upper tail-coverts buff with black centres ; under-parts yellowish- 

 buff, especially throat and breast, latter and flanks streaked and 

 spotted black, centre of belly whitish unstreaked ; greater and 

 median wing-coverts with smaller and paler fringes and tips than 

 in adult female. 



First winter. Male,. Like adult but with longer buff tips 

 to feathers of crown ; less white on feathers of back of neck, often 

 a buff stripe over and behind eye ; ear -coverts browner ; throat 

 with longer buff tips to feathers, and those of chin usually entirely 

 buff without black, and those of lower throat usually marked 

 rufous and black not extending so far on to breast. The juvenile 

 body-plumage and wing-coverts are moulted in Aug. -Sept. but 

 not remiges and rectrices. Summer. Same moult as in adult 

 but generally more complete in regions affected and consequently 

 difficult to distinguish from adult in summer except by narrower 

 and more spotted white collar and black less extended on breast. 



First unnter and summer. Female. Like adult but still 

 browner crown, no white on back of neck, more streaked breast 

 and flanks. 



Measurements and structure. < wing 76-82 mm., tail 61-67, 

 tarsus 20-22, bill length from skull 9.5-11, depth at nostrils 

 5-6 (12 measured). $ wing 70-77. Primaries : 1st minute and 

 hidden, 3rd to 5th longest, 2nd 2-5 mm. shorter, 6th 1-3 shorter ; 

 3rd to 6th emarginated outer webs. Other structure as E. citrinella. 



Soft parts. Bill dark brown, blackish along top of uppei 

 mandible ; legs and feet dark brown ; iris dark brown. 



CHAEACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. E. s. canneti (south-east Europe) 



