118 KEDPOLE. 



Male; weight, two drachms and a half; length, rather under 

 five inches; bill, above, greyish brown, the lower one yellowish, 

 the point blackish; iris, dusky brown. The forehead, which is 

 dull red in winter, crimson in summer, is edged by a blackish 

 band, the tips of the feathers being yellowish grey, and the 

 rest black; crown, a mixture of dark and light brown, the 

 centre of each feather being the darkest; neck in front, pale 

 brown, with dark streaks; on the sides the same; chin, with 

 a patch of black; throat in front, blackish, the tips of the 

 feathers being yellowish grey in winter, and the rest black; 

 on the sides it is pale brown with dark streaks; breast, pale 

 brown, with dark streaks; in the summer fine red above and 

 on the sides, fainter downwards, pale brownish white in winter: 

 the sides the most streaked. Back, yellowish brown, streaked 

 with blackish brown, darkest in summer; over the tail dull 

 red, in summer much brighter. 



The wings extend to the width of eight inches and three 

 quarters; they are crossed by two yellowish brown bands, 

 formed by the tips of the lesser coverts; greater and lesser 

 wing coverts, a mixture of dark and light brown, the centre 

 of each feather being the darkest, which in the former makes 

 a conspicuous bar; primaries, dusky brown, margined with 

 pale yellowish brown; the three first quill feathers are nearly 

 equal in length, the second rather the longest, the fourth a 

 little shorter than the third; secondaries, dusky brown, edged 

 with pale yellowish brown; tertiaries, dusky brown, with 

 broad edges of pale yellowish brown. Tail, dusky brown, 

 with yellowish brown edges to the feathers; the middle ones 

 are nearly half an inch shorter than the side ones ; upper tail 

 coverts, a mixture of dark and light brown, the centre of 

 each feather being the darkest; under tail coverts, whitish, 

 tinged with red in the summer; legs, toes, and claws, blackish 

 brown. 



Female; length, four inches and three quarters; the head 

 has less red on the crown, and the black of the forehead 

 is brownish; throat, brownish black. The breast has 

 generally no red on it; the back has seldom any red on the 

 lower part. 



In the young, after the first moult, which takes place in 

 November, the upper bill is greyish brown, the lower one 

 dull yellow, with the tip dusky; the feathers about the base 

 of the bill are dull blackish brown. Head on the sides, 

 streaked with dusky and light yellowish brown: the red is 



