60 



approached this .appearance;' below black, in winter white. 

 The back above lias the feathers black in the centre, with 

 orange rufous edges, and on the lower part brownish black, in 

 winter nearly uniform ash grey, the centre of each feather a 

 little darker, and the edges a little paler. 



The wings have the first quill feather the longest; they 

 expand to the width of about one foot three inches; greater 

 and lesser wing coverts, brown margined with pale ash grey, 

 the longer ones having white tips, forming an oblique bar 

 across the wing; primaries, greyish black with white shafts, 

 in winter ash grey with darker centres and paler margins; 

 secondaries, greyish black edged with white, the shafts white; 

 tertiaries, black with rufous edges, which, in winter, turn to 

 greyish white. The tail, which is- much cuneated, has some 

 approach to being doubly forked, the two middle feathers 

 being the longest and pointed; they are dark brown with 

 paler edges, the others nearly uniform ash grey with grey 

 shafts; upper tail coverts, a mixture of black and grey, or 

 deep brown with tinges of ferruginous, more or less according 

 to the season of the year; under tail coverts, white. Legs, 

 toes, and claws, black; the former in winter not so dark. 



The female much resembles the male, but is larger in size. 

 The breast is not so dark. 



The young at first are covered with greyish brown down, 

 with a black list over the head and along the nape and back; 

 the breast greyish white, the legs pale green. 



In their first year's plumage they have the bill brownish 

 black; the head on the sides and neck, a mixture of pale 

 grey and brown; the throat spotted with dusky brown; the 

 breast white, also spotted with dusky brown; back, wing 

 coverts, and tertiaries, a mixture of black, dark brown, pale 

 brown, and buff; under tail coverts, white. Legs, brownish 

 black. 



These birds naturally vary very much in the intermediate 

 stages of their plumage, between that of summer and that 

 of winter. 



I procured, in May, 1842, a very elegant specimen of this 

 bird, shot near Burlington Quay, displaying to great advantage 

 the two plumages of summer and winter. 



The engraving is after a design by my friend the Rev. 

 Richard Pye Alington, Rector of Swinhope, Lincolnshire. 



