200 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 7). Adult male. Winter. Fore-head, crown, 

 mantle and scapulars greenish- brown ; rump yellowish-green ; 

 upper tail-coverts black-brown, tipped and fringed yellowish- 

 green ; line from nostrils over and behind eye buffish-yellow to 

 buff ; lores, line under eye and ear-coverts brown with buff or 

 yellowish markings ; chin and throat greenish-yellow to yellowish- 

 buff ; upper-breast yellowish-buff sometimes with a few brown 

 marks in centre ; rest of breast, belly and under tail-coverts 

 yellow ; sides of breast and flanks darker, more greenish ; under 

 wing-coverts and axillaries very pale yellow ; tail-feathers very 

 narrowly fringed greenish-yellow, outermost pair mostly white 

 with only inner edge of basal two-thirds of inner web black-brown, 

 next (penultimate) pair sometimes with almost as much white 

 as outer pair but usually with basal quarter of inner web and 

 much of shaft black-brown as well as a wider margin on inner 

 web ; wing-feathers dark brown, edged yellowish- or buffish-white 

 on outer, and greyish-white on inner webs ; innermost secondaries, 

 greater and median wing-coverts same but more broadly edged 

 and tipped ; lesser coverts with more greenish tips. This plumage 

 is acquired by complete moult in Aug. -Sept. Rummer. The 

 body-feathers, most lesser and median wing-coverts, many inner 

 greater coverts, usually innermost secondaries and sometimes 

 central tail-feathers are moulted in Jan. -March, but not primary- 

 coverts or rest of wing- and tail-feathers (extent of moult in wing- 

 coverts and secondaries varies individually). Fore-head and fore- 

 part of crown greenish-yellow to yellowish-green ; back of crown, 

 mantle and scapulars darker yellowish-green ; rump rather brighter 

 green ; line from nostrils over and behind eye bright yellow ; lores 

 and ear-coverts green marked varying amount of yellow ; chin 

 and rest of under-parts bright yellow, flanks greenish and a patch 

 of yellowish -green on each side of upper-breast and often some 

 feathers in centre of upper-breast and at sides of throat marked 

 dark green ; new wing-coverts edged and tipped more yellow than 

 in winter. 



Adult female. Winter. Much resembling adult male but 

 crown and mantle slightly browner and less green, eye-stripe, 

 chin and throat whitish-buff (sometimes almost white), upper- 

 breast more buff than male, belly usually rather paler. Summer. 

 Moult as male. Fore-head and crown browner green not so 

 yellow as male, mantle darker and browner, eye-stripe and under- 

 parts considerably paler yellow and dark markings on upper-breast 

 rather more prominent than in male. 



Nestling. Down buffish-white ; distribution, outer and inner 

 supra-orbital, occipital, spinal, humeral and ulnar. Mouth inside- 

 orange-yellow, externally gape-flanges pale yellow. 



Juvenile (Plate 7). Whole upper-parts earth- to yellowish- 

 brown with blackish markings forming dark lines on sides of 

 crown ; upper tail-coverts black-brown with narrow buff -tips ; 



