228 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



and belly not so intense and less extensive ; edgings of secondaries 

 and greater coverts tinged greenish, not so pure blue-grey ; blue- 

 grey of primary-coverts and tail duller. 



Nestling. Down smoke-grey, fairly long ; distribution, inner 

 supra-orbital and occipital (fairly plentiful), humeral and spinal 

 (scanty). Mouth, inside orange, no ( spots ; externally flanges 

 pale lemon-yellow. 



Juvenile. Male. Fore -head, lores, crown and nape sooty- 

 black ; nuchal spot very pale yellow ; mantle and scapulars much 

 duller and browner than adult ; rump and upper tail-coverts sooty- 

 grey ; cheeks, ear-coverts and sides of neck yellowish-white ; 

 chin and throat greyish-soot and narrow line of same down centre 

 of breast and belly ; rest of breast and belly and flanks rather 

 duller yellow than adult ; vent and under tail-coverts white, 

 tinged yellow ; tail as adult but blue-grey of outer webs much duller 

 and inner webs of central pair with little blue-grey ; primaries 

 much as adult but with duller blue-grey fringes ; secondaries with 

 fringes greenish, innermost secondaries browner, not so black as 

 in adult ; primary-coverts brown fringed dull bluish-grey ; greater 

 coverts smoke-grey, tipped whitish -yellow ; median and lesser 

 coverts browner with faint tinge of greenish. Female. Like male 

 but fringes of tail- and wing-feathers still duller and primary- 

 and greater coverts browner. 



First winter. Male. Like adult but fringes of wing- and tail- 

 feathers and primary-coverts differing as in juvenile, except the 

 newly -moulted feathers which are like adult. The juvenile body- 

 feathers, greater, median and lesser wing-coverts, two (occasionally 

 three) innermost secondaries, central pair of tail-feathers (occa- 

 sionally whole tail) are moulted in Aug.-Sept. but not rest of wing- 

 feathers. Female. Like adult female but primary -co verts much 

 browner with greyish not blue-grey fringes, fringes of primaries 

 greenish and of secondaries green, outer webs of tail-feathers duller 

 except when moulted. 



Measurements and structure. <$ wing 73-78 mm., tail 58-64, 

 tarsus 20-22, bill from skull 11-12.5, width at nostrils 5-6 (12 

 measured). $ wing 70-77, bill from skull 11-12, width at nostrils 

 4.5-5. Primaries : 1st 9-12 mm. longer than primary-coverts, 2nd 

 between 8th and 10th, 4th to 6th longest, 3rd and 7th 2-4 shorter ; 

 3rd to 7th emarginated outer webs . Secondaries equal 10th primary, 

 tips rounded. Tail almost square. Bill stout and strong. Good 

 many rictal and nasal bristles, short bristle-like feathers covering 

 nostrils. Tarsal joint feathered. 



Soft parts. Bill black, with horn-colour tip and cutting edges ; 

 legs and feet lead-blue ; iris brown-black. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. For allied forms see p. 226. 

 Large size and black central line on under-parts are distinctive 

 specific characters. 



