ANTHID^E. 149 



neck, back, scapulars and tail-coverts dull dark 

 brown, the feathers being slightly margined with a 

 greyish brown, with a slight tinge of olive-green in 

 it, on the tail-coverts; wing-coverts dark dusky 

 brown, tipped and very slightly margined with very 

 pale brown, almost white ; quills dusky brown, ter- 

 tials slightly margined with lighter brown after the 

 moult; throat dull white; sides of the neck dull 

 white, mottled with brown, of which colour there is 

 a line reaching to the breast; breast dull white, 

 much mottled with dark brown; belly and under 

 tail-coverts the same, but not so much mottled ; tail 

 the same colour as the quills, except the outside 

 feather on each side, which is a very pale light 

 brown, and the next to it is slightly margined and 

 tipped with the same colour ; legs, toes and claws 

 brown, the hind claw is much curved. Varieties 

 of this bird occasionally occur: Yarrell mentions 

 having had one sent him by Mr. Lyte, of Berry 

 Head, which was white on the head, back and under 

 surface. 



The eggs vary considerably in colour, the most 

 general being yellowish white ground, mottled over 

 with grey and dusky brown, or mottled all over with 

 two shades of dark brown, so as almost to conceal 

 the ground colour.* Meyer also mentions having 

 had some of the eggs of this bird sent him which 



* Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. i., p 230. 



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