THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON 



shaded with pearl-grey on the breast and streaked with 

 pale brown on the flanks. Bill black, paler below; 

 tarsi and toes brown ; irides brown. Length 6 inches. 

 The female lacks the black head and throat, the former 

 being brown, each feather with a paler margin. The 

 eye-stripe is pale buff ; the throat is dirty white, and 

 the breast and flanks are streaked with brown. The 

 nestling resembles the female in colour. After the 

 autumn moult much of the conspicuous beauty of the 

 male is concealed by the margin of pale brown that fringes 

 all the black feathers. 



