THE BLACK REDSTART. 465 



Adult female. Winter. Feathers at base of nostrils brown 

 to whitish-brown, rest of fore-head, crown, mantle, scapulars and 

 back greyish-brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts chestnut, but 

 duller than in male ; lores, chin and feathers round eye whitish- 

 brown freckled darker brown ; ear -coverts, sides of neck, breast 

 and flanks brown ; centre of belly brownish -white ; under tail-coverts 

 pale orange-buff ; under wing-coverts and axillaries brown tipped 

 yellowish-brown ; tail as male, but duller chestnut and central 

 feathers and tips of others browner not so blackish ; primaries 

 and secondaries brown, inner webs edged whitish and outer webs 

 narrowly edged pale brown to whitish ; greater wing-coverts 

 brown edged and tipped pale brown ; median and lesser coverts 

 same, but rather greyer-brown. Moult as in male. Summer. 

 As winter, abrasion causing very little difference in colour. 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. -Upper-parts as adult female, but of a less greyish 

 tone of brown and feathers very faintly tipped darker brown ; rump 

 chestnut -buff, feathers very faintly tipped brown ; upper tail- 

 coverts more chestnut and without brown tips ; lores, ear-coverts, 

 chin, throat and upper-breast slightly paler than upper -parts and 

 with dark tips of feathers rather more distinct, lower breast and 

 flanks paler brown and dark tips more distinct ; centre of belly buff 

 to whitish ; under tail-coverts deeper buff ; axillaries and under 

 wing-coverts as adult female ; tail as adult female ; wing-feathers 

 and wing-coverts as adult female, but edgings and tips of secondaries 

 and wing-coverts browner and not so pale and greyish. 



First winter and summer. Male. Usually like adult female 

 and very difficult to distinguish, but upper-parts rather browner 

 with less greyish tone and edgings of secondaries and outer greater 

 wing -co verts browner not so pale and greyish. Some first winter 

 males are, however, more like adult males but are more washed 

 with brown on upper -parts and with scarcely any black on mantle,, 

 with duller chestnut on rump, upper tail-coverts and tail, with 

 larger and more brownish tips to feathers of chin, throat and breast 

 and are tinged brown on flanks and breast ; primaries, secondaries 

 and primary -co verts brown as in juvenile but occasionally one 

 or two secondaries usually in one wing only are moulted (probably 

 accidentally) and have whitish edgings ; outer greater coverts 

 brown as in juvenile, varying number of inner greater coverts 

 (usually 3 or 4) and all median and lesser coverts blackish tipped 

 french-grey as in adult male. The juvenile body-feathers, lesser 

 and median wing-coverts, varying number of innermost greater 

 coverts (usually 3 or 4 but occasionally none) are moulted Aug-Sept., 

 but not primaries, primary -co verts, nor usually secondaries and 

 not rest of greater wing-coverts. 



First winter and summer. Female. Like the brown first 

 winter and summer male and only to be distinguished from 



2 H 



