GBASSHOPPER WAELBEE. 71 



to yellow; it is thin, and much compressed from the middle 

 to the tip, the upper one notched: the corners of the mouth 

 are reddish yellow; iris, brown. Head on the crown, neck 

 on the back, and nape, olive brown, the centres of the feathers 

 darker, giving it a spotted appearance; chin, yellowish white; 

 throat and breast, very pale yellowish brown, with an olive 

 tint on the sides, spotted with darker brown; back, olive 

 brown, mottled by the edges of the feathers being lighter 

 than the centre: the upper part of it is the darkest. 



The wings, which are very short, extending to the width 

 of seven inches and a half, and reaching only a very little 

 beyond the base of the tail, have the first feather very short, 

 the second longer than the fifth, but shorter than the fourth, 

 the third the longest; primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, 

 dark dusky brown, edged with reddish brown; underneath, 

 their shafts are white and glossy; greater and lesser under 

 wing coverts, light yellowish grey. The tail, which is long 

 and of the 'cuneiform character,' extending an inch and a 

 half beyond the wings, is brown, marked in some lights with 

 numerous obscure transverse bands: the feathers are edged 

 with reddish brown, and are very soft and broad; under tail 

 coverts, pale brown, streaked along the centre of each feather 

 with darker brown. Legs, strong, and as the toes and claws, 

 pale brownish yellow, lighter in autumn, the latter thin and 

 narrow, but hooked and strong, their tips- dusky. 



With the advance of summer, owing to the abrasion of 

 the feathers, the upper parts of the plumage become of a 

 greyish brown colour, and of the lower parts paler. 



The female resembles the male, but the dusky lines on 

 the fore part of the neck are wanting. Breast, uniform pale 

 yellowish brown colour. 



Young; upper bill, light brown; the lower, dull yellow. 

 Head, crown, neck on the back, and nape, light yellowish 

 brown, spotted with dusky; throat, pale brownish yellow; 

 breast, brownish yellow, tinged on the sides with brown; 

 back, light yellowish brown, spotted with dusky. Primaries, 

 secondaries, and tertiaries, dusky; edged with light yellowish 

 brown; greater and lesser under wing coverts, yellowish grey. 

 Tail, dusky, the feathers edged with light yellowish brown; 

 under tail coverts, yellowish grey, with a faint dusky streak 

 along the middle. Legs and toes, greyish yellow. 



