68 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



black, the cheeks are whitCj shading into pale grey on the ear-coverts, and 

 the rest of the underparts are white, shading into grey on the flanks. 

 Bill lead-blue in summer, black in winter ; legs, feet, and claws brown ; 

 irides dark brown. The female differs considerably from the male, and 

 has the whole of the upper parts dull brown, the back streaked with 

 darker brown ; the eye-stripe is pale buff, the white wing-bar is not so 

 pure, and the underparts are darker and browner. Young birds resemble 

 the female, but are lighter in colour. After the first moult the young 

 males resemble the old birds of that sex ; but it appears not to be until 

 the second year that they assume the richness of colour which stamps the 

 fully adult bird. After the autumn moult the adult male has pale edges 

 to the feathers of the head and throat, but these pale edges are cast in 

 spring. 



