550 BRITISH BIRDS. 



spring plumage is huffish brown, most of the feathers, except those of the 

 head, nape, and the wing- coverts, having obscurely defined dark centres. 

 The primaries and secondaries are brown ; the forehead, a line over the eye, 

 the sides of the head and neck, and the rest of the underparts are slate- 

 grey ; the shortest under tail -coverts are brown tipped with white, and the 

 longest black tipped with white. Bill green, tinged with red at the base ; 

 legs and feet green; irides deep carmine. The female differs from the 

 male in having the slate-grey confined to the forehead and eye-stripe, the 

 general colour of the underparts being buff, shading into nearly white on 

 the chin and throat, and into brown on the flanks, which are transversely 

 barred with white. The winter plumage of both sexes scarcely differs from 

 the summer plumage of the adult female. Young in first plumage are 

 somewhat more spotted on the upper parts, and have the eye-stripe and 

 the whole of the underparts buffish white, obscurely barred with brown at 

 the sides. Birds of the year are intermediate between young in first 

 plumage and females in winter plumage. Young in down are black. 



