EEDBEEAST. 35 



have the brown feathers mottled with dull orange and buff, 

 with pale olive brown tips; chin, throat, and breast, tinged 

 with dull reddish or yellowish brown, the feathers margined 

 with darker brown. The back has the brown feathers mottled 

 with buff or pale brown tips. Greater and lesser wing- 

 coverts, partially tipped with dull orange buff, or very pale 

 brown; toes, pale yellowish red, paler underneath. 



After the first autumnal moult the young birds resemble 

 the female, but the red of the breast is more tinged with 

 orange; the legs dark brown. 



Varieties are not of very great rarity. The Rev. E,. P. 

 Alington records in the 'Naturalist,' old series, one which 

 had the wing primaries white. In the same work, vol. ii, 

 page 53, I mentioned one which had the mandibles slightly 

 crossed. This year also, February, 1853, while waiting for a 

 train at the Hutton station, on the York and Scarborough 

 line, one came into the room in search of food, the ground 

 being covered with snow, and, having caught it for a moment, 

 I saw that the lower bill was almost entirely gone, yet the 

 bird appeared in good condition. How it could have managed, 

 or does manage, is a difficulty to me, as it must, I fear, be 

 in some degree to itself. 



One has been seen which had the part which is usually 

 red a light bluish grey, the back and wings bluish green. 

 White ones are not very unfrequent; others are greyish 

 white; some yellowish white. One has been seen which had 

 the whole of the primary and secondary feathers of the 

 wings white, as also those of the tail, with the exception of 

 the tips, which were of a dull grey colour: it was a young 

 bird of the year. One all but entirely white one of the 

 primaries slightly edged with brown; one pale buff, with the 

 usual red breast; one with the bill white, the back white, 

 with a few streaks of light brown, the breast with more 

 white than usual, the wings nearly all white, with a few 

 pale olive feathers, the legs very light coloured, the breast 

 red; one with the whole upper plumage a very light fawn- 

 colour, the quills and larger feathers of the wing whitish, 

 the red breast retained, the legs and toes much lighter 

 coloured than usual. Of a brood of young Robins, two of 

 which were white, and one partially so, all moulted into the 

 usual colour. 



