392 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



on the centre, the ends (which are of an ash-colour 

 in winter) become rufous by degrees till the darker 

 feathers with reddish margins pervade the whole of 

 the back; the wing primaries are more decidedly 

 black, the white-coloured portions more pure and 

 conspicuous ; the tail the same at all seasons ; the 

 breast white, barred across with rufous-brown and 

 dark brown; the thighs and belly more sparingly 

 barred with dark brown only ; vent and under 

 tail-coverts white; legs, toes and claws brownish 

 black."* 



The description of my own bird, killed in Feb- 

 ruary, is as follows : The beak is black at the tip 

 and pale flesh (now faded to dull white) at the base ; 

 from the beak to the eye ash-grey; over this and 

 over the eye a broadish white patch, with a few ash- 

 grey streaks on it ; the head and back of the neck 

 ash-brown ; back, scapulars, wing-coverts and tertials 

 a darker ash-brown, the shafts of all the feathers 

 are black (some of these feathers are much worn 

 and others appear nearly new, as if a partial moult 

 was going on) ; some of the wing- coverts are mar- 

 gined with dullish white, in others the margins are 

 nearly worn off; the primary quills are black, with 

 white shafts and a white mark at the base of those 

 nearest the body ; the tail-feathers are black at the 

 points and white towards the base, the most white 



* Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 686. 



