436 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



webs ; primary -coverts as primaries ; greater coverts as inner 

 secondaries ; median coverts with narrower whitish tips ; lesser 

 coverts same, but with still narrower whitish tips (some entirely 

 black). This plumage is acquired by complete moult in July- Aug. 

 Summer. A moult usually confined to ear-coverts and chin but 

 occasionally extending to some feathers of throat and crown takes 

 place Dec. -Feb. As winter, but abrasion gradually makes fore-head 

 and fore-part of crown whiter and often quite white, but when very 

 much worn black bases of feathers begin to show, nape and mantle 

 gradually become pale sandy- buff and occasionally in very worn 

 examples white with remains of buff here and there, white tips 

 wear off tail-feathers and buff tips and edgings of wing -feathers, 

 wing-coverts and axillaries gradually wear off making wings almost 

 uniform black except for whitish edgings of inner webs of wing- 

 feathers, under-parts become pale buff to almost pure white. 



Adult female. Winter. Whole head, mantle and upper-back 

 sandy -brown ; scapulars dark brown and bufT-brown ; lower-back, 

 rump and upper tail-coverts white ting d cream as in male ; lores 

 and feathers under eye brown (sometimes blackish), feathers with 

 greyish-white tips ; ear -coverts sandy-brown to dark brown and 

 occasionally blackish-brown ; chin and throat whitish-buff, feathers 

 with brown to black-brown bases varying in extent, sometimes 

 entirely concealed, sometimes showing more or less ; rest of under- 

 parts as male but buff of breast less rich ; under wing -co verts, 

 axillaries, wing-feathers and all wing-coverts much browner black 

 than adult male and with wider and more brownish-buff edgings 

 and tips ; tail as adult male but black browner and extending 

 usually farther and very rarely broken up by white. Moult as 

 male. Summer. Abrasion does not make any marked difference 

 as in adult male . Much of pale edgings on wings remains . Abrasion 

 reveals black-brown bases of feathers of chin and throat and this 

 becomes prominent in some examples. 



Nestling. Down pale mouse-colour. Distribution, inner supra - 

 orbital, occipital, humeral, spinal and femoral (description from 

 partially feathered skin). 



Juvenile. Feathers of whole head, mantle and upper-back 

 with pale buff to buffish-white centres with narrow brown tips, 

 giving a spotted appearance ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; 

 ear-coverts dark brown with pale buff shaft -streaks ; chin and 

 throat dull buffish-white, some feathers very slightly tipped brown ; 

 breast rather more buff, feathers with narrow brown tips and edges ; 

 rest of under-parts pale buff ; axillaries black-brown with pale 

 buff tips ; tail as in adults ; wing-feathers, primary- and greater 

 coverts as adult female ; median and lesser wing-coverts black- 

 brown with long whitish-buff tips. 



First winter. Male. Like adult male but upper -parts rather 

 browner and darker, not so bright, feathers of lores and ear -coverts- 



