Contributions to the OmitJiology of India, 8fc. 271 



In the summer plumage, which, however, some birds assume 

 as early as February, the whole of the head, neck all round, 

 entire lower parts, upper tail coverts, and tail are pure white. The 

 entire mantle and back, tertiaries, and secondaries, a delicate 

 pale bluish grey ; the tertiaries, secondaries, and longer scapulars 

 broadly tipped with white, and the earlier secondaries especially, 

 with the major portion of the inner webs also white ; the edge 

 of the wing about the carpal joint, white ; the first primary 

 with the whole outer web black, with a white tip, and a broad 

 white band across both webs near the tip, and above this band 

 again a considerable portion of the inner web black, the rest 

 of the inner web pale grey ; the second primary similar ; but 

 the white band often wanting entirely, often reduced to a larger 

 or smaller spot on the inner web only, the black on the inner web 

 of less extent than in the first, and the basal portion of the 

 outer web, the same pale blue grey as the coverts and the rest 

 of the wing ; the third and following primaries have only the 

 white tips, and no white band ; as they recede from the second, 

 more and more of the outer webs become grey, and the black 

 diminishes proportionally on the inner web also, so that on the 

 seventh or eighth, it is generally reduced to a narrow black band 

 across both webs, or in some cases on the outer web only, while 

 in some it is entirely wanting on the last three quills. In some 

 specimens the basal portion of the inner webs is almost pure 

 white, in others it is the same pale grey as the mantle. 



The extent of the white band on the first primary is very 

 variable ; in some specimens, it is little more than half an inch, 

 in others it is two inches broad ; in one specimen it is absolutely 

 wanting, in another it extends right to the tip, the usual 

 intervening subterminal black band having entirely disappear- 

 ed ; that on the second primary is equally variable. 



In the winter plumage the nape and the back of the neck are 

 thinly striated with pale brown, and there are traces of similar 

 striae, but much feebler and fainter as a rule on the crown, and 

 to judge from my specimens, these are often entirely wanting. 



In the winter plumage the legs and feet are greyish white, 

 with more or less of a fleshy tinge ; in one specimen they 

 were an excessively pale lemon yellow, with a grey shade ; in 

 another, greenish yellow. In another specimen killed in the 

 middle of February, and apparently in every other respect in full 

 summer plumage, the legs and feet were pale yellow; both 

 Macgillivray and Yarrell speak of the legs and feet as flesh 

 color, perhaps our ideas in regard to color differ ; but certainly 

 none of the fifty odd birds that I shot had what / call flesh- 

 colored legs. 



