164 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



most troublesome weeds, are greedily devoured. In the early winter this 

 species is often remarkably fat ; and in Italy great numbers are caught 

 with Ortolans, and fattened for the table. 



The adult male Yellow Hammer in the breeding-season has the head 

 and nape bright yellow, more or less streaked with dusky brown, the 

 remains of autumn plumage; the rest of the upper parts are chestnut, 

 broadly streaked on the back and scapulars with very dark brown ; the 

 primaries are dark brown, externally margined with yellow ; the innermost 

 secondaries and wing-coverts are dusky black, the former broadly margined 

 and the latter margined and tipped with chestnut-brown. The tail is dark 

 brown, the two centre feathers broadly margined with reddish brown, the rest 

 narrowly with yellowish, the two outer feathers on each side having a conical 

 patch of white on the inner web. The general colour of the underparts is 

 bright yellow, shading into dusky olive on the breast, and streaked on the 

 cheeks, breast, and flanks with rich chestnut. Bill with the upper mandible 

 brown, the lower horn-colour ; legs, feet, and claws light brown ; irides 

 hazel. The female has the yellow much less in extent, almost absent from 

 the head, and paler than in the male; the underparts are much more 

 streaked, and the colours generally are much duller. Young in first 

 plumage very closely resemble females, the young males not obtaining 

 their yellow heads until the first moult. Males of the year have the head 

 more streaked than adults. After the autumn moult the Yellow Hammer 

 has dark tips to the feathers of the head, and broad pale margins to the 

 feathers of the rump and to the upper tail-coverts ; most of these are abraded 

 or drop off in spring, leaving the bird in brilliant nuptial dress. 



