150 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



tail-feathers tipped buffish-white and central pair fringed same ; 

 primaries narrowly tipped same ; inner secondaries tipped and 

 fringed same with two or three tooth-like marks on distal portions 

 of outer webs. This plumage is acquired by complete moult in 

 autumn. Summer. No moult. Abrasion of pale-coloured tips 

 gradually makes plumage almost entirely jet-black. 



Adult female. Winter. Upper-parts pale buff, each feather 

 with dark brown centre ; upper tail-coverts with uneven or hollow 

 dark brown centres ; lores pale buff, freckled brown ; ear-coverts 

 and sides of throat much as upper-parts but tinged yellowish ; 

 whitish patch at base of sides of neck with blackish-brown patch 

 below it ; chin and throat buffish-white, feathers with dark brown 

 bases ; upper-breast and flanks dark brown almost concealed by 

 long white or whitish-buff fringes and tips ; rest of breast and 

 belly and under tail-coverts white, feathers with brown-black 

 bases ; axillaries and under wing-coverts sooty-brown ; tail dark 

 brown edged and tipped buffish-white, outer pair with most of outer 

 web white ; primaries dark brown tipped whitish, three outer 

 feathers broadly edged white on outer webs ; secondaries same but 

 with broader white tips, two innermost paler brown and with a 

 penultimate band of buff ; all whig-coverts dark brown fringed 

 and tipped buffish-white. Summer. Abrasion of pale fringes 

 causes more dark brown to show on upper-parts, and black bases 

 of feathers of under-parts are revealed to varying extent by wear 

 of white distal halves. 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Much like that of M . sibirica, but upper-parts more 

 blackish, not so yellowish-brown, and tips of feathers rather whiter ; 

 sides of head tinged yellowish, breast and flanks not so buff and 

 latter dark brown with creamy -white tips ; feathers of belly with 

 pale brown bases ; tail and wing-feathers as adult female, but paler 

 brown and evenly margined buffish-white ; wing-coverts as adult 

 female but paler brown. 



First winter. Male and female. Apparently indistinguishable 

 from adults. The juvenile plumage appears to be completely 

 (including wings and tail) moulted in autumn. 



Measurements and structure. $ wing 127-139 mm., tail 70-76, 

 tarsus 25-27, bill from skull 16-19 (12 measured). ? wing 114-122. 

 Primaries : 1st minute, less than half primary-coverts, 3rd longest, 

 2nd and 4th sometimes as long but usually 1-4 mm. shorter, 

 5th 7-12 shorter, 6th 18-25 shorter; 3rd to 5th emarginated outer 

 webs. Secondaries between 8th and 10th primaries, tips rather 

 deeply notched, longest between 7th and 8th. Tail almost square, 

 very slightly forked. Hind claw much as S. sibirica but very 

 slightly curved and quite half as long again as hind toe. Bill 

 very strong, shaped like that of M . sibirica, a good many small and 

 fine rictal and nasal bristles and small bristle-like feathers covering 

 nostrils. 



