82 
“Upon leaving the nest the young birds are soon abandoned by their parents, and fly about 
singly or in little parties in search of food.” 
Adult male. General colour above brownish-black, the wing-coverts like the back, with a narrow 
hoary-white fringe to the median series, a trifle more distinct on the greater coverts and the 
primary-coverts; quills dark brown, with a narrow fringe of hoary-white on the primaries, a little 
more distinct on the secondaries, the innermost of which are uniform like the back; tail blackish- 
brown; sides of face, throat, and under surface of body brownish-black, with a broad white collar 
across the fore-neck; the breast-feathers showing remains of narrow white margins, a trifle more 
distinct on the abdomen and under tail-coverts, but with no indications of white centres to the 
feathers beyond an occasional pale shaft-stripe; under wing-coverts апа axillaries brown with white 
margins, some of the lower coverts mottled with white; quills sepia-brown below, shaded with 
ashy along the inner webs. Total length 10:5 inches, culmen 0-9, wing 5:75, tail 4:2, tarsus 1:35. 
Adult female. Much browner than the male, with the wings and tail also browner; the white 
edgings to the coverts and quills distinctly indicated; under surface of body browner than in the 
male and more mottled, with the feathers of the throat, breast, and abdomen edged with whitish, 
the feathers with greyish-white bases, and the under tail-coverts showing narrow white shaft-streaks ; 
the white band on the fore-neck feebly indicated, and almost obscured by the brown edges to the 
feathers; under wing-coverts for the most part white, freckled with brown mottlings; axillaries 
brown, edged and mottled with white. Total length 10:5 inches, culmen 1:0, wing 5:65, tail 4*0, 
tarsus 1:3. 
Adult male in winter plumage. Differs very little from the summer plumage, and shows a 
distinct white collar on the fore-neck, and the same amount of white edging to the feathers of the 
wing. The entire upper surface, however, exhibits a narrow margin of pale brown to the feathers, 
and the white edgings to the feathers of the underparts are more distinct. 
The young male after its first autumn moult is not so black as the adult birds, and has the 
feathers of the upper surface distinctly edged with brown, and the feathers of the under surface are 
plainly margined with white, but show no white centres to the feathers. The white neck-collar is 
entirely obscured by a brown shade. 
The description of the adult male is taken from a specimen in the Seebohm Collection procured 
in Heligoland іп May. This specimen is also figured in the Plate. The adult female and young 
described are Norwegian specimens in the Salvin-Godman Collection. The female figured is from 
France, and the nestling is from Derbyshire, both being in the Seebohm Collection. 
ІК. B. S.] 
