92 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



margined with rufous as scarcely to show any of the 

 black which is so conspicuous in the spring, and 

 which becomes more visible as the margins wear 

 off, until about April or May the margins are 

 almost or quite gone, and the head and neck 

 become (as before described) black; the margins 

 also on the feathers of the back wing- coverts and 

 quills are almost sufficiently broad to conceal the 

 dark colour of the rest of the feathers ; the tail- 

 feathers are also at this time margined with a 

 lighter rufous than that of the back. 



The plumage of the female differs considerably 

 from that of the male : the feathers of the head, 

 neck, back and scapulars are dusky, margined at all 

 times with rusty brown ; the rump and tail-coverts 

 are more rufous ; the wing-coverts, except those of 

 the tertials (which are white, as in the male), are 

 dark dusky, almost black, margined with rusty 

 brown; tertials the same; secondary and primary 

 quills and tail brown, very slightly margined with 

 light rusty ; cheeks and ear-coverts brown ; throat 

 dirty white, slightly spotted with black ; breast and 

 all the rest of the under parts light rufous. The 

 young birds, after their first moult, resemble the 

 female. 



The egg is of a greenish blue ground, very 

 thickly spotted with dull rust-coloured spots, mostly 

 at the thick end : in size it is rather smaller than 

 that of the Hedge sparrow. 



