A LIST OF THE BIRDS OF PEGU. 217 
Birds in this plumage are undoubtedly nestlings. But they 
differ from what Mr. Seebohm says of this stage by not being 
yellowish below to such an extent as his description implies, 
or Mr. Dresser’s plate shews it to be. In the latter also the 
spots on the throat and breast are hardly numerous enough for 
an average young specimen, and the tippings to the tail feathers 
are too narrow, thev being really about ‘2 in breadth. 
Birds with the bright yellowish buff lower plumage are not 
spotted, and I take this to be the stage into which the nestling 
moults in October or November. In_ this stage the upper 
plumage is much brighter, caused by the black centres to the 
feathers being smaller, and the margins larger; the rump is 
almost unstreaked. ‘The black on the rectrices is less in extent, 
and the white tips reduced to the same size as in the adult ; 
the eye streak, the chin, throat, and the whole lower plumage 
are lively yellowish buff, intensifying and becoming warm 
ochreous on the flanks and under tail-coverts. There are no 
spots, but a few of the feathers on the sides of the neck are 
obsoletely tipped darker, but so slightly as not to be noticeable 
without close inspection. 
From this stage the bird in spring moults into the full 
plumage. The adults, according to Mr. Seebohm, (Zbis, 1879, 
p- 13) have both a spring and an autumn plumage, differing 
from each other in the colour of the underparts, but my large 
series does not support this view. 
The adults—both sexes seem alike—have the head blackish 
brown, each feather narrowly edged with pale reddish brown. 
A collar behind the nape is reddish brown without marks. 
This unspotted collar is only seen ina very few birds, and 1 
take it to indicate very old birds; the back, scapulars, and 
wing-coverts dark blackish brown, rather broadly edged with 
reddish brown ; ; the rump reddish brown, without marks ; : 
the upper tail-coverts reddish brown, each feather with a large 
central drop of black; the outer tail feathers are nearly all 
black, the rufous margins being small. Towards the middle of 
the tail each pair of rectrices becomes progressively less black 
and more margined with rufous, and the middle pair are 
rufous with a broad shaft line of black. All the rectrices are 
tipped with white, the breadth of the tips being about ‘05 of 
an inch. 
Eye streak yellowish white; ear-coverts hair brown, and a 
patch below the ear-coverts yellowish buff; chin, throat, and 
centre of abdomen whitish; remainder of the under parts 
delicate buff, darkening on the flanks and under tail-coverts ; 
the wings are brown, the tertiaries being edged with whitish, 
and the other quills with pale rufous brown. 
As a rule, the underparts are quite unmarked ; but in many 
