362 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 12). Adult male. Winter. Fore-head and 

 crown dull greyish-black to brownish-black ; rest of upper-parts 

 including upper tail-coverts uniform grey-brown ; lores and ear- 

 coverts rather darker than crown ; feathers above lores edged with 

 whitish ; chin, centre of upper -throat and centre of belly pure white ; 

 breast and rest of throat and belly white, more or less tinged with 

 bufnsh-pink ; flanks and under tail-coverts darker pinkish-buff ; 

 axillaties pinkish-buff ; under wing-coverts whiter with brown 

 bases ; tail-feathers greyish-black to brownish -black narrowly 

 fringed greyish -white, all except central pair with small white tips, 

 penultimate pair with large white tips and outer pair white with 

 only the shaft and inner portion of inner web brown -black ; wing- 

 feathers greyish- black edged whitish on inner webs and narrowly 

 edged greyish-white on outer webs, tips greyish-white ; innermost 

 secondaries and wing-coverts dark brown with greyish-brown tips 

 and edges. This plumage is acquired by complete moult July- 

 Sept. Summer. A complete moult (including wings and tail) 

 takes place from Feb. to May. New plumage as winter, but crown 

 usually rather darker. In much worn plumage buff of breast and 

 flanks becomes paler "and loses much of its pink hue. 



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

 head and crown not so dark ; in winter usually dark brownish- 

 grey not blackish, but in summer often blackish though not so dark 

 as adult summer male (N.B. Variation in darkness of crown seems 

 to be individual and not connected with age) ; rest of upper-parts 

 browner not so greyish as in male ; wing- and tail-feathers browner ; 

 buff of under-parts usually more brownish and less pinkish. 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Whole upper-parts including crown as well as wing- 

 coverts and innermost secondaries of a uniform brown, darker and 

 browner even than in adult female ; under-parts as adult female, but 

 buff of flanks and under tail-coverts a shade paler. 



First winter. Male and female. Like adult winter female 

 but crown browner and almost uniform with rest of upper-parts. 

 The juvenile body-plumage, wing-coverts and innermost secondaries 

 are moulted June-Aug., but not primary-coverts or rest of wing- 

 feathers or tail. First summer. Like adults, and moult the same. 



Measurements and structure. <$ wing 77-83 mm., tail 65-70, 

 tarsus 22-24, bill from skull 15-17 (12 measured.) ? wing 73-80. 

 Primaries : 1st 2-6 mm. longer than longest primary -co vert, 4th 

 longest, 3rd usually as long but sometimes like 5th 1 mm. shorter, 

 2nd and 6th usually equal to each other and 4-6 shorter ; 3rd to 5th 

 emarginated outer webs. Secondaries rather shorter than 10th 

 primary, tips rather square. Tail square, except that outermost 

 pair are 2-3 mm. shorter, 12 feathers, tips sharply rounded. Bill 

 strong, culmen slightly curved. A good many fine rictal and nasal 

 bristles. Nostrils not covered with feathers. 



Soft parts. Bill slate-black with base of lower mandible grey ; 



