276 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



ear-coverts darker and more uniform : under-parts cream-coloured, 

 each feather with blackish cresceiitic band but chin, middle of 

 belly and under tail -co verts with only a few dark marks ; tail as 

 adult female but penultimate dark lines at tip more distinct ; 

 primaries and secondaries as adult female but innermost secondaries 

 with distinct buff or rufous margins and penultimate black lines ; 

 primary -co verts with longish buff or rufous tips ; greater coverts 

 brown-black with rufous edgings and usually rufous spots at tip and 

 penultimate black bands ; median and lesser coverts same but with 

 part of centres also buff or rufous. 



First winter. Male and female. Much resembling adult 

 female but crown and rump more rufous and most feathers of 

 upper-parts including wing-coverts and innermost secondaries 

 with black crescentic bands ; under-parts like adult female. 

 Upper-parts darker and more rufous-brown than juvenile and not 

 nearly so much barred either on upper- or under parts. Apparently 

 no difference between male and female. Most of the juvenile body- 

 feathers and lesser and median wing-coverts are moulted July- 

 Sept., but a varying number of body-feathers and wing -co verts are 

 retained, as well as primary-coverts, wing- and tail-feathers and 

 usually greater coverts. First summer. The first winter-plumage 

 together with remaining juvenile feathers are completely (including 

 wings and tail) moulted Nov.-Feb., when male becomes indis- 

 tinguishable from adult male but female differs from adult female 

 in having varying number of feathers of upper-parts, wing-coverts, 

 and inner secondaries with black concentric bands narrower than 

 in first winter. 



Measurements and structure. <$ wing 88-98 mm., tail 70-82, 

 tarsus 22-24.5, bill from feathers on culmen 12-13.5 (12 measured). 

 9 wing 87-96 mm. Primaries : 1st 1-4 mm. longer than longest 

 primary -co vert, 3rd longest, 2nd 4-9 shorter, 4th 1-3 shorter, 5th 

 5-8 shorter, 6th 10-13 shorter ; 3rd and 4th primaries emarginated 

 outer webs. Secondaries equal to or shorter than 10th primary, 

 tips rounded. Tail fairly square except for outermost pair which 

 is about 10mm. shorter. Bill and rictal bristles as in L. minor. 



Soft parts. Bill black (adult male) brown-horn (female and 

 young) ; legs and feet grey-black (adult male), brownish-grey 

 (female and young) ; iris dark brown. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. Subspecies described from 

 Caucasus and Persia require further study. Grey crown and rump 

 and bay mantle distinguish adult male ; female differs from L. 

 senator in having no white on rump, less white in outer tail-feathers, 

 more rufous mantle ; juvenile distinguished from that of L. . 

 senator by want of white at base of primaries but difficult to distin- 

 guish from that of L. s. badius except for less white in outer tail- 

 feathers. 

 FIELD-CHARACTERS. Grey crown and nape, black lores and ear- 



