THE SNOW-BUNTING. 143 



above primary-coverts and with distal quarter of inner feathers 

 black ; secondaries with largish black marks on distal portion of 

 outer webs ; primary -coverts black narrowly fringed white ; 

 greater coverts brown-black fringed buff and tipped white ; median 

 and lesser coverts brown-black tipped white. Summer. Same 

 moult as in male but new feathers of ear-coverts more tawny than 

 in male. Abrasion of tips of feathers makes upper-parts greyish- 

 black but with buff or whitish remains of tips especially on crown ; 

 nape rather whiter speckled and streaked black. 



Nestling. Down, dark grey, fairly long ; distribution, inner 

 supra-orbital, occipital, humeral, spinal, ulnar, femoral, and crural. 

 Mouth, externally gape yellow ; beak yellow (C. B. Ticehurst, 

 Brit. B., n, p. 193). 



Juvenile (Plate 6). Crown, nape, back of neck, ear-coverts, 

 sides of head, and rump dusky or bumsh-grey very faintly streaked 

 black ; mantle more buff and considerably more broadly streaked 

 black ; chin and centre of throat dusky grey ; upper breast and 

 flanks more buff ; centre of breast and belly whitish-buff ; wing- 

 feathers and primary- and greater coverts as first whiter ; median 

 coverts greyish -black tipped white ; lesser coverts greyish-black 

 fringed greyish-white. Female has more black on secondaries 

 and outer tail-feathers than male. 



First winter. Male. Much like adult male but often (not 

 always) of darker tawny colour on upper-parts ; feathers of nape 

 and back with small black spots ; those of rump always with 

 black centres ; primary-coverts either entirely black or with bases 

 white freckled dusky ; primaries with less white at bases, 9th 

 and 10th primaries with distal half black ; secondaries with outer 

 webs marked brownish-black ; greater coverts brownish-black 

 tipped white, but sometimes the central feathers dusky-white 

 only flecked black ; median coverts white ; lesser coverts black 

 with buffish-white tips or white flecked black (amount of black 

 in wing -feathers and wing-coverts varies individually). The 

 juvenile body-plumage, lesser and median wing-coverts are 

 moulted in Aug. -Sept., but not tail- and wing-feathers and rest of 

 wing-coverts. Summer. Same moult as adult and abrasion has 

 same effect but back of neck always has flecks of black ; rump 

 usually black (very occasionally white with few black marks). 



First winter. Female. Much like adult female and difficult 

 to differentiate with certainty, but has more black on secondaries, 

 most of outer webs and distal portion of inner webs being black ; 

 nape darker with less white ; greater coverts with shorter white 

 tips ; pectoral band often with black flecks. 



Measurements and structure. whig 105-112 mm., tail 65-70, 

 tarsus 21-23, bill from skull 11-12 (12 measured). $ wing 100-107. 

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

 4th 2-5 mm. shorter, 5th 12-15 shorter ; 3rd and 4th emarginated 

 outer webs. Secondaries between 8th and 10th primaries. Tail 



