378 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



grey, innermost secondaries more widely fringed and tipped ash- 

 grey ; all wing-coverts as innermost secondaries ; outer webs 

 of feathers of " bastard wing " narrowly fringed whitish. This 

 plumage is acquired by complete moult July-Nov. (occasionally 

 Dec.). Summer. The body -feathers and occasionally central 

 pair of tail-feathers are moulted Jan. -Mar., but not wing-feathers 

 nor any wing-coverts. New plumage as winter. 



Adult female. Winter. Fore-head, crown, and lores ashy- 

 grey, feathers with darker, sometimes blackish centres ; nape 

 greyish -brown ; rest of upper -parts brown but rump and upper 

 tail-coverts usually more greyish ; ear -coverts brownish-grey ; 

 chin, throat and centre of belly white ; breast and sides pale 

 pinkish-brown ; flanks darker brown with slight pinkish tinge ; 

 under tail-coverts and axillaries pale brown ; tail-feathers brown- 

 black fringed grey -brown, outer feathers with less pure white than 

 adult male ; primaries brown-black inner webs fringed dull whitish, 

 outer webs fringed grey-brown, secondaries same but fringes of 

 outer webs browner ; greater wing-coverts dark brown with paler 

 brown fringes and tips ; median and lesser wing-coverts with 

 brownish -grey fringes and tips ; outer webs of feathers of " bastard 

 wing " brownish -white. Moult as male. Summer. Moult as male. 

 New plumage as winter. 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Male. Much as adult female but fore-head, 

 crown and ear -coverts dark sooty-brown ; sides and flanks rather 

 paler and more buffish-brown than adult female. Female. As 

 juvenile male but fore-head, crown and ear-coverts browner and 

 almost uniform with rest of upper -parts ; rump and upper tail- 

 co verts browner ; wing- and tail-feathers browner and fringes 

 of tail-feathers and primaries browner. 



First winter. Male. Like adult male but rather more tinged 

 with brown on crown and especially nape ; rest of upper-parts 

 more tinged with brown (occasionally, however, adults have as 

 much brown tinge) ; primary -co verts and wing-feathers much 

 browner than adult, fringes of tail-feathers not such pure grey 

 and outer tail-feathers usually with not such pure white. The 

 juvenile body-plumage, wing-coverts and three or four innermost 

 secondaries are moulted July -Dec., but not primary -co verts, tail 

 nor rest of wing-feathers. Summer. Moult as adult but sometimes 

 whole tail moults. Plumage as adult but wing-feathers browner 

 but not so distinctly different as in winter, as those of adults become 

 browner by fading. 



First winter. Female. Like adult female but fore-head, 

 crown and ear-coverts browner ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 browner ; wings and tail browner. Moult as in male. Summer. 

 Moult as male, after which it is difficult to distinguish from adult 

 female. 



