574 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 



and a dark patch below the ear-coverts ; the hind neck and sides of 

 neck sandy buff, streaked with black, chin, breast and abdomen 

 white ; the lower throat, fore neck and breast pale sandy buff, with 

 central spots of black on the feathers ; the sides of the breast and 

 flanks regularly barred with black ; the under tail coverts sandy 

 buff, tinged with rufous, and having more or less complete bars of 

 black ; under wing coverts and axillaries white, barred with 

 black, the latter very distinct^ banded ; lower primary coverts 

 and quills below uniform aslxy brown " (Sharpe). 



" Bill brown ; feet light slate colour ; iris very dark " (Ayres). 



" Bill dull flesh coloured at the base darkening to black at the 

 end ; legs dull flesh colour, the joints plumbeous, iris dark brown. 

 Culmen 2-4, wing 5-5, tail 2*5, tarsus 1-4" (Dresser). 



"Culmen 2*45, wing 5 - 55, tail 2, tarsus 1*35 " (Sharpe). 

 ■ Adult female. — Similar to the male. 



" Culmen 2-5, wing 5 - 3, tail 2, tarsus 1*5 " (Sharpe). 



From the above it will be seen that the female, as far as is shewn 

 by the few sexed females in the British Museum collection, is a 

 somewhat smaller bird with longer bill and legs. The wing in a 

 few females sent to me for examination have average 5*50. 



Winter plumage. — " More sandy-buff than in summer, the buff 

 edges to the feather of the upper surface broader and more con- 

 spicuous, the blackish markings on the fore neck larger and 

 coarser, and either circular or horse-shoe shaped" (Sharpe). 



Young. — The 3 T oung have less white about them than the adult, 

 the white outer tail feathers being a good deal barred, in addition 

 to this the general tone is much more rufescent and the lower 

 surface darker. 



Nestling. — Ashy fulvous, the crown and centre of the back more 

 rufous, sides of the face and a broad supercilium white, coronal and 

 orbital lines black, and other lines of black about the face ; wings 

 rufescent fulvous, sides of back and a patch on each flank black. 

 Under surface bright fulvescent, a dark patch on the lower throat 

 and the centre of the abdomen nearly white. 



Distribution. — Breeds in Northern Europe and in Western 

 Siberia, as far North as 69° N. Lat., as far East as the Valley of 

 the Yenesi and winters in Southern Europe and Northern Africa, 



