326 BRITISH BIRDS. 



grey edges to the outer webs, and there is no mesial streak, the outer 

 four or five are browner in tint than the inner ones and have slightly 

 worn tips, and some show a faint trace of a mesial streak, but this is 

 variable. 



FEMALE. Like the male, but the upperparts a shade browner, and 

 the edgings of the feathers as a rule rather broader ; the greyish-white 

 edges and tips of the feathers of the throat are broader, giving the whole 

 a more mottled appearance ; the narrower gorget is a dark smoky-grey, 

 more broadly tipped with smoky-brown than in the male, and so has 

 the appearance of being absent ; breast, belly and flanks slightly browner 

 and more broadly tipped and edged with greyish -white. 



First Summer-Plumage. Acquired by abrasion and fading. 



MALE. Whole uppersurface dark brown ; chin, upper-throat, ear- 

 coverts and breast dark brown, gorget dull white ; belly and flanks 

 dark brown, with a few traces of the grey-white margins of the feathers 

 still left ; under tail-coverts as in winter, but some of the grey-white 

 edges are worn off ; tail browner ; wing-coverts browner, with most of 

 the grey edgings and tips worn off. 



FEMALE. Whole of upperparts are browner than in Winter and 

 most of the edgings are gone, as they also have from the feathers of the 

 throat, and so the latter has a less mottled appearance ; the gorget now 

 stands out, and is of a smoky-grey, but there are still some edgings of 

 smoky-brown left ; belly, flanks and under tail-coverts browner, and the 

 grey-white edgings reduced in width or in places vanished. 



Adult Winter-Plumage. Acquired by a complete moult. 



MALE. Resembles the First Winter-Plumage, but in some the 

 gorget is whiter and the edgings to its feathers are narrower. All the 

 greater coverts are now dark grey, with greyish-white edges to the outer 

 webs, and so no trace of a mesial streak is seen on any of them. 



FEMALE. Resembles the First Winter-Plumage, but the gorget is 

 more distinct, due to the feathers having narrower edges ; there is also 

 the same distinction in the greater coverts as there is in the male. 



Adult Summer-Plumage. Acquired in the same way as 

 the First Summer-Plumage, and the majority of specimens 

 cannot with certainty be distinguished. 



