VOL. vni.] RUPPELL'S WARBLER. 95 



Description. — Adult male. Winter. — Fore-head, lores and 

 crown black, feathers lightly tipped grey ; rest of upper- 

 parts french-grey slightly darker on upper tail-coverts ; 

 chin and tliroat black, some feathers lightly tipped white; 

 from base of bill to base of ear-coverts a conspicuous white 

 moustachial stripe ; ear-coverts dark french-grey, some- 

 times almost black ; breast, belly and under tail-coverts 

 greyish-white tinged pink, centre of belly pure white ; 

 flanks and axillaries pale grey, slightly tinged pink ; tail- 

 feathers black, central pair and outer webs of others tinged 

 grey and fringed whitish, outermost pair white with only 

 base black, next (penultimate) pair with the tip white 

 extending to about distal third of inner web, next pair with 

 smaller white tip ; wing-feathers black, tipped and fringed 

 on inner and outer webs greyish -white, innermost secondaries 

 fringed buffish-pink ; primary-coverts as primaries ; greater 

 coverts tinged grey and inner ones fringed buffish-pink ; 

 median coverts french-grey tipped ^^'hitish ; lesser coverts 

 french-grey. This plumage is acquired by complete moult 

 in autumn (Sept.-Nov.). Summer. — ^No moult, and 

 abrasion causes little difference except that fringes of 

 wing- and tail-feathers become mostly worn off and crown 

 and tlu'oat become uniform black. 



Adult female. — ^Differs from adult male in having fore- 

 head and crown greyish-brown with varying amount of 

 broA^Tiish-black usually confined to centres of feathers, 

 thus giving a somewhat mottled appearance, but sometimes 

 middle of crown is nearly black ; rest of upper-parts brown 

 with slight greyish tinge, especially on rump ; moustachial 

 stripe showing distinctly whiter than chin and throat, 

 which are usually buffish-white often more or less mixed 

 with blackish ; upper-breast pale buff ; flanks browner 

 buff ; centre of breast and belly white ; axillaries tinged 

 buff ; tail- and wing-feathers as adult male but much 

 browner not so black ; inner secondaries and greater coverts 

 fringed pale buff. 



Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Male atid femule. — Much like adult female but 

 croA^Ti and throat with no trace of black ; wing-feathers 

 and greater coverts edged and tipped buffish-brown. 



First winter a^id summer. Male. — ^As adult male but 

 crown not so uniformly black, often marked grey or brown ; 

 rest of upper-parts not so pure a grey, but tinged brownish ; 

 feathers of throat more fringed white ; wing-feathers and 

 primary-coverts browner and edged browner ; outer greater 



