396 BRITISH BIRDS. 



MALE. Resembles that of the First Summer-Plumage, but may be 

 distinguished by the basal two-thirds of the primary -coverts being 

 white ; the outer unmoulted feathers of the greater, median and lesser 

 wing-coverts being black, not brown, the edgings being almost entirely 

 worn off, and by the lores being usually blacker. 



FEMALE. Resembles that of the First Summer-Plumage, but 

 all the dark wing-coverts are blacker and the basal halves of the primary- 

 coverts are white. 



THE COMMON REDSTART. Ruticilla phcmicurus (Linn.) . 



Down-Plumage. Dark grey. Distribution — Outer and 

 inner supra-orbital, occipital, humeral and spinal, well 

 marked and long, except in spinal and humeral tracts, where 

 it is short and scanty (cf. supra, p. 151). 



Juvenile Plumage. Acquired while in the nest, the 

 Down-Plumage being completely moulted. 



MALE and FEMALE. Feathers of the whole head, nape, mantle 

 and scapulars dingy ochreous to ochreous-grey, edged and tipped with 

 brown-black, the bases being French grey ; rump pale orange-rust, 

 the feathers tipped with brownish-black ; upper tail-coverts pale rust ; 

 feathers of the chin, ear-coverts, sides of neck, upper and lower- throat and 

 breast pale buffish or dingy white, edged and tipped with dark brown ; 

 feathers of the belly and flanks whitish or creamy-white tipped with 

 dark brown, less so on the belly (on the breast the dark edges on the 

 feathers form a " horse-shoe " pattern) : under tail-coverts pale buffish- 

 yellow ; tail-feathers chestnut, except the two central ones, which are 

 dark brown with chestnut edges to their outer webs at the base ; 

 primaries, secondaries, primary -coverts and greater wing-coverts, dark- 

 brown with rufous-brown edges and tips to the outer webs, more marked 

 on the inner secondaries and greater wing-coverts, faint in the rest ; 

 median wing-coverts dark brown with triangular terminal markings of 

 yellowish tipped with brown-black ; lesser wing-coverts dark brown 

 with pale centres ; under wing-coverts pale buff ; axillaries darker 

 buff. 



First Winter-Plumage. Acquired by a complete moult, 

 with the exception of the rectrices, remiges, primary-coverts 

 and most of the greater wing-coverts (the innermost one or 

 two greater wing-coverts are renewed). 



MALE. Feathers of the forehead and anterior part of crown pure 

 white at the base, the terminal halves being French grey tipped with 

 pale brown; feathers of the band at base of bill black with brown tips; 

 rest of crown, nape, mantle and scapulars French grey, the feathers 

 broadly tipped with brown, so that here as on the forehead the brown 

 tips hide the rest of the colours ; rump pale orange-rust ; upper tail- 

 coverts pale chestnut ; indistinct superciliary stripe white, the feathers 

 tipped with brown and grey ; feathers of the lores with black bases 

 masked by tips' of whitish; ear-coverts black, tipped with pale buff- 

 brown ; chin white or bumsh-white ; upper- and lower-throat and sides 

 of neck black, masked by broad whitish or bumsh-white edges to the 

 feathers ; breast and flanks pale chestnut, the feathers edged with white ; 



