THE STOXECHAT. 



321 



the innermost secondaries and the smaller coverts pure white, which forms 

 a patch on the wing, most conspicuous when the bird is flying. Sides of 

 the neck and breast white, the remainder of the underparts rufous-brown, 

 richest on the breast ; bill, legs, and feet black irides dark brown. The 

 female is not nearly so richly clothed as her mate, being browner in every 

 part, and with the white patches of her plumage suffused with a rufous 

 shade. The nestling bird is spotted and streaked above and below, and 

 has broad buff margins to the quills and tail-feathers, and no trace of the 

 dark throat or white patches that distinguish the adult. In the autumn 

 the male Stonechat's plumage is browner, more like the female, from the 

 effect of the broad buff margins to the feathers. The nuptial dress is 

 gained, not by a moult, but by the casting of these buff margins in the 

 spring. 



VOL. i. 



