SPOTTED CKAKE 171 



In Scotland it has bred as far north as Elgin, also in 

 Kirkcudbrightshire and Dumfriesshire (Saunders). 



In Ireland there is one authenticated instance, namely, 

 from the county Eoscommon, where Colonel Irwin obtained 

 a nest with nine eggs in a swamp near Castleplunket, about 

 1851. At that period this species was not uncommon in 

 the district (Ussher). It is worth noting that, according 

 to Thompson, a young bird, still retaining some down, was 

 obtained in the co. Kerry. 



Geographical distribution. Abroad, it breeds freely in 

 many countries of Central and Southern Europe. It 

 reaches latitude 65 N. in Scandinavia, but has not yet 

 been noticed in Iceland or the Faroes, though twice obtained 

 in Greenland (Saunders). Eastward it can be traced, as 

 a breeding species, to Central Asia ; in winter it migrates 

 to India, North and Central Africa. 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. Top of head, dark 

 brown ; back and wings, greenish-brown, with darker 

 streaks, and prettily speckled with white especially about 

 the neck and tail-coverts ; cheeks and throat, dull grey ; 

 breast, brown, also speckled with white ; flanks, barred 

 with brown and white ; abdomen, grey. 



Adult female nuptial. Duller in colour than the male. 



Adult winter, male and female. Somewhat similar to 

 the respective nuptial plumages except that the white spots 

 are more profuse, and are visible on the cheeks, throat, and 

 side of neck. 



Immature, male and female. The spots are much more 

 profuse than in the adult, and the throat is white. 



Nestling. Glossy greenish -black. 



BEAK. Yellow, shaded with red at the base. 



FEET. Yellowish-green. 



IRIDES. Keddish-brown. 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH 9 in. 



WING 4-5 



BEAK 0'5 ,, 



TARSOMETATARSUS 1*25 ,, 



EGG ... 1-3 X '9 in. 



