PASSERINE BIRDS OF NEW YORK 207 



olive-brown. Wings dull black, the primaries with edgings and a patch at 

 their bases white, the tertiaries with broad edgings of buft" and walnut-brown, 

 the innermost white edged, the wing coverts with buff" or pale cinnamon edg- 

 ings. Tail deeper black than the wings, the three outer rectrices with sub- 

 terminal areas of white. Below, dull white, strongly washed with buff or pale 

 yellow, cinnamon tinged on breast, flanks and crissum, and streaked on the 

 throat and sides with dull black. Bill and feet pinkish buff", the former becom- 

 ing s'aty black, the latter dusky sepia-brown. Iris, sepia-brown becoming 

 deep red during the winter. 



3. FiR.sT Winter Plumage acquired by a partial postjuvenal 

 moult, beginning the middle of August, which involves the body 

 plumage, the wing coverts, the tertiaries and the tail but not the 

 primaries, their coverts, and the secondaries. Young and old 

 become almost indistinguishable except by the browner primary 

 coverts of the young birds. 



Whole head, throat, breast, back, rump, wing coverts and tertiaries jet black ; ab- 

 domen pure white, the sides and flanks rich chestnut, the crissum cinnamon. 

 The upper tail coverts are usually edged with cinnamon and the back sometimes 

 has obscure Vandyke-brown edgings. The tertiary endings are pale buff" with 

 walnut, those of the inner tertiary nearly white. 



4. First Nuptial Plumage acquired by wear which is marked 

 by the end of the breeding season producing a ragged plumage, 

 but the black areas do not fade perceptibly and the chestnut flanks 

 fade but very little. The brown primary coverts are the distin- 

 guishing feature of young birds. 



5. Adult Winter Plumage acquired by a complete post- 

 nuptial moult beginning early in August. Differs from first ■ 

 winter dress chiefly in the blacker wings, especially the primary 

 coverts and deeper wing edgings. Old and young now become 

 indistinguishable. 



6. Adult Nuptial Plumage acquired by wear and differ- 

 ing from first nuptial by black instead of brown primary coverts. 

 A few feathers may be assumed by moult on the chin and else- 

 where, but they are insignificant in numbers. 



Female. — In juvenal plumage olive- brown wings and tail re- 

 place the black ones of the male. The first winter plumage, 

 acquired by a moult of similar extent to that of the male, differs 

 in having the head, back, throat and breast, brown instead of 

 black. Adult and young females cannot be distinguished in this 



