148 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



and lesser wing-coverts more uniform chestnut, mantle rather 

 darker, spots on throat and breast become smaller or wear off, 

 chestnut on sides of breast becomes more prominent. 



Adult female. Winter and summer. Like male but fore- 

 head and crown like the mantle and only tinged chestnut ; 

 chestnut of wing-coverts paler ; spots on throat and breast larger 

 and more in form of short streaks ; sides of breast more heavily 

 streaked black -brown and less chestnut ; outer pair of tail- 

 feathers with a dark streak at tip. 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Crown dark brown, feathers with bumsh-white 

 tips and bumsh-yellow bases ; nape more yellowish-buff, feathers 

 with buffish- white tips and penultimate dark brown marks ; 

 mantle, back and rump dark brown, feathers tipped bumsh- 

 white fringed and mottled yellowish-buff ; upper tail-coverts 

 like nape ; lores buffish- white ; cheeks same, feathers with 

 penultimate dark brown tips ; ear-coverts same but more 

 yellowish-buff ; chin white ; throat same with a few dusky 

 spots ; breast and flanks yellowish-buff, feathers with penultimate 

 dark brown spots ; rest of under-parts including axillaries white ; 

 tail-feathers brown, mottled yellowish-brown and evenly margined 

 buff with an inner dark brown line, outer pair white tinged buff 

 on outer web and with a brown line on inner web ; primaries as 

 tail but 8th to 10th with inner webs bumsh-white ; innermost 

 secondaries as tail, rest with distal half buffish- white ; greater 

 and median coverts as tail but tips whitish ; lesser coverts brown 

 tipped whitish-buff ; primary-coverts and bastard- wing brown 

 fringed deep creamy-buff. 



First winter. Male and female. Apparently like adults and 

 not to be distinguished. The juvenile plumage is completely 

 (including wings and tail) moulted in autumn. 



Measurements and structure. <$ wing 115-125 mm., tail 64-70, 

 tarsus 24-26, bill from skull 12-14 (12 measured). $ wing 106-112. 

 Primaries : 1st minute and less than half primary-coverts, 2nd 

 and 3rd equal and longest, 4th 5-7 mm. shorter,. 5th 14-18 shorter, 

 6th 22-28 shorter ; 3rd and 4th emarginated outer webs. In 

 juvenile plumage 1st primary is considerably longer and broader 

 than in adult. Secondaries between 8th and 10th primaries, 

 square tipped and notched, longest between 6th and 7th. Tail 

 almost square. Hind claw straight, spike-shaped and longer than 

 hind toe. Bill strong, upper mandible curved and slightly longer 

 than lower. A good many small and fine rictal and nasal bristles 

 and small bristle-like feathers covering nostrils. 



/Soft parts. Bill brownish horn, paler at base ; legs and feet 

 yellowish-brown ; iris dark brown. 



CHARACTERS. No subspecies. Distinguished easily by its chestnut 

 primary-coverts and lesser wing-coverts and white secondaries. 



