408 BIEDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



coverts a streak of pale brown ; forehead and top of 

 the head rich dark brown, divided along the middle 

 line from before backwards by a pale brown stripe ; 

 neck all round pale brown, the centre of each feather 

 darker brown; interscapulars, scapulars and back 

 rich brownish black, with central lines and broad 

 margins of rich buff or fawn-colour ; lesser wing- 

 coverts nearly black ; the upper series tipped with 

 pale brown, the lower series tipped with white ; 

 great coverts black, tipped with white; primary 

 quill-feathers dull greyish black, with white shafts ; 

 secondaries dull black, tipped with white; tertials 

 black, barred and streaked with pale brown; rump 

 very dark brown, edged with pale brown ; upper 

 tail-coverts pale yellow-brown, varied with dark 

 brown ; tail-feathers sixteen, the four on each out- 

 side nearly all white, the others rich brownish black 

 over three-fourths of their length from the base, 

 then a patch of chesnut, bounded by a circle of 

 black and tipped with white ; chin pale yellow- 

 brown ; breast and sides of the body with half- 

 circular bands of brownish black or pale brown; 

 belly and vent pale brownish white ; legs and toes 

 greenish brown ; claws black." The legs and toes 

 seem ubject to some variation in colour,* as Yarrell 

 says he has seen them in fresh-killed birds of a livid 



* Meyer has coloured them flesh-colour and described 

 them as olivaceous-grey : Montagu describes them as black. 



