THE SUBALPINE WARBLER. 381 



than in male and with brown fringes, outer tail-feathers with less 

 and duller white ; wing-feathers and primary-coverts browner with 

 brown fringes ; lesser and median coverts with grey-brown, not 

 ash-grey fringes. Moult as male. Summer. No moult. Abrasion 

 makes crown rather greyer and pink of throat and breast rather 

 more prominent. 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Upper -parts as adult winter female but only bases 

 of feathers grey ; under-parts buff, whitish on chin and white in 

 centre of belly ; fringes of tail- and wing-feathers and wing-coverts 

 more rusty-brown than in adult female. 



First winter. Male. Like adult but wing- and tail-feathers 

 browner, not so greyish-brown and fringes more rusty- brown. The 

 juvenile body -plumage, lesser and median wing-coverts and probably 

 greater coverts and some innermost secondaries are moulted Aug.- 

 Sept., but not primary -coverts, wing- or tail-feathers. 



First winter and summer. Female. Like adult but upper- 

 parts browner, not so greyish -brown ; under-parts paler, chin, 

 throat and lores being buffish -white with no pink ; breast pale buff ; 

 flanks bright buff ; centre of belly white ; fringes of tail- and wing- 

 feathers and greater wing -co verts more rusty- brown. 



Measurements and structure. $ wing 55-64 mm., tail 49-55, 

 tarsus 18-20, bill from skull 10-11.5 (12 measured). $ wing 55-60. 

 Primaries : 1st equal to or 1-3 mm. shorter or longer than primary- 

 coverts, 3rd and 4th longest, 2nd 1-4 mm. shorter, usually between 

 5th and 6th but sometimes as long as 5th or as short as 6th rarely 

 between 6th and 7th, 5th .5-2 mm. shorter, 6th 3-4 shorter ; 3rd to 

 5th emarginated outer webs. Secondaries 2 mm. shorter than 10th 

 primary, tips fairly square. Tail somewhat rounded, three outer 

 pairs being graduated, 12 feathers, tips rather sharply sloped off. 

 Bill fine, base rather flatter and broader. A few small and fine 

 rictal and nasal bristles. Nostrils not covered by feathers. 



Soft parts. Bill dark brown, base of lower mandible pale 

 brown ; legs and feet pale brown ; iris pale ochre ; orbital ring 

 orange. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. S. c. inornata (north-west Africa) 

 has throat and breast brick-red rather than pinkish ; S. c. albistriata 

 (south-east Europe, Asia Minor) has 2nd primary longer than 5th 

 and a broader white moustachial stripe. Young females are much 

 like some brown female Lesser Whitethroats, but are usually smaller 

 and with shorter 1st primary, paler lores and ear -coverts, more 

 buffish, less pure white chin and throat contrasted with the pure 

 white moustachial stripe. 



FIELD -CHARACTERS. Very skulking, haunting thick scrub, from 

 which its clicking alarm-note may be frequently heard, but only 

 occasional glimpses caught, when white outer tail-feathers furnish 

 a good character. The males utter a little song while rising and 



