422 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 14). Adult male. Winter. Whole upper -parts 

 blackish -brown, each feather with brown-buff tip and blackish sub- 

 terminal marks, feathers of crown, nape, upper mantle, lower rump 

 and many scapulars with blue-slate bases mostly concealed by tips 

 of feathers, feathers of lower mantle, back, upper rump and some 

 scapulars with white bases showing here and there ; upper tail- 

 coverts bright orange -chestnut with buff tips ; lores blue-slate 

 with buff tips ; ear -coverts, sides of neck and sides of throat buff 

 to whitish, feathers with black-brown subterminal crescentic 

 bands and slate-blue bases showing here and there ; chin and centre 

 of throat whitish to pale slate-blue, more uniform with few dark 

 crescentic bands ; rest of under -parts bright orange -chest nut, 

 feathers with whitish-buff tips and black-brown subterminal cres- 

 centic bands more circular and strongly defined on breast, straighter 

 and often broken into spots and sparser on belly ; under tail -co verts 

 same but without dark bands and only a dark spot here and there ; 

 axillaries and under wing-coverts bright orange -chestnut tipped 

 whitish ; tail-feathers bright chestnut tipped buff, central pair 

 with exposed part dark brown and only base chestnut, rest often 

 with dark brown marks on outer webs ; wing-feathers black-brown 

 with broad huffish-white tips and narrower pale buff fringes to 

 outer webs ; primary -co verts and greater wing-coverts same but 

 frequently with bluish tinge on fringes of outer webs ; median 

 and lesser coverts black-brown with buffish-white tips, one or two 

 inner median often with a white mesial streak. This plumage is 

 acquired by complete moult July-Sept. Abrasion gradually 

 makes pale tips of feathers of upper-parts smaller and slate-blue 

 bases become more exposed as well as white on back and scapulars, 

 pale tips of wing-feathers and wing-coverts become much worn. 

 Summer. A moult confined to the body-feathers takes place 

 Dec. -March and occasionally a few median and lesser wing -co verts 

 are moulted but not re&t of wings or tail. Whole crown and nape 

 extending on to upper mantle, ear-coverts, sides of neck, chin and 

 whole throat become pale slate-blue, feathers with narrow buff 

 tips ; scapulars, lower mantle and rump blackish-slate with 

 narrow buff tips and blackish subterminal bands ; most scapulars 

 and feathers of lower mantle and upper rump with white 

 bases and feathers of middle of back white with slate- blue tips ; 

 upper tail-coverts and under-parts below throat bright orange- 

 chestnut, feathers with whitish tips but under-parts without 

 the blackish crescentic bands of winter plumage ; new feathers 

 (when present) on lesser coverts tinged slate and on median with 

 white mesial streaks. (N.B. In this plumage tips of feathers 

 soon wear off and even by April whole head and neck are uniform 

 slate, white on back and scapulars gradually becomes more extended 

 and purer, and under-parts become uniform chestnut, while light 

 tips and fringes of wing-feathers and coverts wear off almost 

 completely.) 



