322 BRITISH BIRDS. 



with smoke-grey, sparsely in the centre, heavier at the sides ; flanks 

 smoke-grey ; under tail-coverts with concealed dark bases to the 

 feathers and broad whitish margins and tips tinged with orange ; tail 

 as in the Juvenile Plumage, but the olivaceous tint is now greyish ; 

 remiges and primary-coverts as in the Juvenile Plumage, but much of the 

 buff edging on the secondaries is now greyish ; greater coverts as in the 

 Juvenile Plumage, but the margins paler and the new three or four 

 innermost feathers lacking the pale tips ; median and lesser coverts dark 

 smoke-grey ; under wing-coverts rusty-orange ; axillaries paler, with 

 greyish margins. 



N.B. — There is some individual variation in the tint of the upperparts, 

 in the pureness of the black of the breast and in the predominance of 

 black or white on the throat. 



FEMALE. Whole of upperparts as in the male, but slightly browner ; 

 lores dark brown, surmounted by a dusky line passing into an indistinct 

 superciliary ; ear-coverts as mantle ; cheeks and whole throat dull white, 

 with mesial dark brown streaks ; upper-breast smoke-grey, with dark 

 brown mesial markings of varying dimensions (in some the dark brown 

 colour occupies most of the feather, in others it is merely a streak) ; 

 lower-breast and belly dull white, more streaked than in the male ; 

 rectrices, remiges and all their coverts as in the male. 



N.B. — There is considerable variation in the amount and arrangement 

 of the dark markings on the throat and breast. 



First Summer-Plumage. Acquired by abrasion and 

 fading. 



MALE. Whole of upperparts a shade paler grey, especially on the 

 rump ; through the loss of the edgings of the feathers the black super- 

 ciliary is more pronounced, and the whole throat and breast is more 

 uniformly black, though in most the edgings on the throat are not 

 entirely lost and so the latter is still somewhat mottled ; the streaks 

 on the belly are less pronounced and some of the greyish edgings on the 

 secondaries and edgings and tips on the greater coverts are worn off. 



N.B. — Before this plumage is moulted the black on the underparts 

 has become brownish-black. 



FEMALE. Whole of upperparts paler grey ; the dark markings 

 on the underparts are browner and more sharply defined ; some of the 

 greyish edgings on the secondaries and edgings and pale tips of the 

 greater coverts are worn off. 



Adult Winter-Plumage. Acquired by a complete moult. 



MALE. Differs from the First Winter-Plumage in having the upper- 

 parts as a rule a shade paler, the superciliary more definite, lores 

 blacker, chin, whole throat and breast black, with narrower whitish 

 edgings, the greater coverts without pale tips to any of the feathers 

 and the grey margins of the outer webs not so broad. 



FEMALE.- So great is the variation in the females that it would 

 appear that there are no distinctive features between the First Winter- 

 and Adult Winter-Plumages, except that in the latter the greater coverts 

 have narrower grey margins to the outer webs and lack the pale tips. 



