



36 BRITISH BIRDS. . | fvor.=a 
the wing- and tail-feathers. First winter females are not to 
be distinguished from adults. First winter males are also 
sometimes indistinguishable from adult males, but usually 
the feathers of the crown have brown tips and sometimes the 
crown is a mixture of reddish-brown and black, while the 
nape is sometimes greyish olive-brown, instead of ash-grey 
as in the adult male. I have examined some undoubted 
first winter males with jet-black crowns and ash-grey napes 
exactly as in the adult, but I have never seen an undoubted 
adult male with brown in the crown. 
First Summer.—Moult as in the adult after which it 
becomes indistinguishable from the adult, but sometimes © 
has brown on the crown. 
WHITETHROAT (S. c. communis). 
ApuLts.—Complete moult in August and September 
(occasionally October and November). In January and 
February (occasionally March and April), another complete 
moult usually takes place, but some individuals moult only 
partially. The female differs from the male in having a 
browner crown, brown (not tipped with grey) lesser wing- 
coverts, the breast brownish-buff with occasionally a slight 
tinge of pink, flanks without any pink tinge and the white 
of the outer tail-feathers duller and more brownish. In the 
summer plumage the crown of the male is of a purer grey 
than in winter and that of the female becomes greyish, but 
not so grey as in the male, while the pink tinge on the breast 
becomes more pronounced. 
JUVENILE.—Like the adult winter female, but the upper- 
parts and breast and flanks are darker, the chin and belly 
dull white, the median and lesser wing-coverts more yellowish- 
brown and the white of the outer tail-feathers still duller. 
First Winter.—The juvenile body-feathers, lesser and 
median wing-coverts and some innermost secondaries are 
moulted from July to September (occasionally October and 
November) but not the rest of the wing-feathers nor the 
greater wing-coverts, primary-coverts or tail-feathers. Both 
sexes in first winter are like the adult winter female but without 
any tinge of pink on the breast and with the outer tail- 
feathers as in the juvenile. 
First SumMer.—Moult as in the adult. The male then 
becomes like the adult female in summer, being less grey on 
the crown and ear-coverts and less pink on the breast than 
the adult male. The first summer female has no grey on 
the crown nor pink on the breast. 
LressER WHITETHROAT (S. c. curruca). Ap 
ApvuLts.—Complete moult in July and August. In 
