194 
BLACK LAKK. 
it, in spite of the great aridity of the soil. The nest 
is made without art or skill; it is composed of blades 
of grass, roots, and moss; in the interior small rootlets, 
and sometimes feathers. It contains from four to five 
eggs.” 
The bird differs much in plumage at different seasons 
and ages. In summer the entire plumage of the male 
is black; beak yellow, with the point brown, and in 
the breeding dress in spring it is, as represented in my 
figure, black, with the feathers of the back, rump, and 
flanks more or less bordered with white. In the autumn 
it is yellow grey, with scale-like spots, (according 
to Degland,) on the crop; stomach, wings, and tail 
black, the quills of both wing and tail bordered with 
grey white. 
4'he female has, according to Temminck, all the 
])lumage of a paler black, with the forehead gi’eyish, 
and all the feathers of the neck, of the throat, and crop 
finely bordered with grey. 
The young resemble the female, bnt the plumage has 
more of a brown shade, the brown of the feathers 
In'oader and more yellowish, the tail and wing quills 
being bordered with the same colour. 
My figure is taken from a male specimen, from the 
Volga, sent me by Mr. Tristram. The egg is from 
Thienemann. 
The bird is also figured by Buffon, pi. enl. 650, f. i.; 
Could, B. of E., pi. 161; Vieillot, Galerie des Oiseaux, 
vol. i, p. 259, pi. 160, adult male; Gmclin, Nov. Comm. 
Betrop. XV., p. 479, pi. 23, fig. 2; Werner, Atlas du 
iNIanuel, pi. lith. of the young of the year. 
