24 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



and paler in colour, those of hind -part longer, deeper chestnut- 

 bro-wn and with a white subterminal band varying in extent ; 

 mantle pinkish -brown or greyish -brown varying in shade ; scapulars 

 and back banded with cream and black ; rump white ; upper tail- 

 coverts black, upper feathers with white bases and narrow white 

 tips ; lores and ear -co verts pale pinkish -brown ; chin, throat and 

 breast more vinous -pink and feathers of chin with whitish edgings ; 

 flanks and sides of belly whitish with rather wide daik brown 

 streaks ; centre of belly and under tail-coverts white ; axillaries 

 T?ery pale pink ; under wing-coverts white with pink tinge and 

 lower series with black tips ; tail glossy-black with a broad white 

 band across middle, white on outer webs of outermost pair of 

 feathers being more or less extended ; wing-feathers glossy-black, 

 primaries with a single broad white band across both webs of 2nd 

 to 8th, similar band or spot on inner webs only of 1st, 9th and 10th 

 and sometimes 8th, secondaries banded with white throughout 

 their length but outermost two or three feathers with bands broken 

 or absent on outer webs of their distal halves, innermost feathers 

 browner with longitudinal cream streaks ; primary-coverts glossy- 

 black ; greater and median coverts glossy-black banded white 

 with more or less tinge of cream ; lesser coverts : lower ones black 

 tipped creamy-white, upper ones pinkish -brown. This plumage 

 is acquired by complete moult July-Nov. 



Adult female.— Like male but throat and breast usually 

 browner and less vinous -pink, feathers of chin and throat usually 

 with longer white tips and sometimes with blackish bases, but 

 these distinctions are variable and some females cannot be distin- 

 guished from males by coloration. 



Nestling. — Down, white and fairly long. Distribution, inner 

 supra-orbital, occipital, spinal, humeral, ulnar, ventral, femoral 

 and crural. (Description from half feathered skins.) 



Juvenile. — Like adult female and difficult to distinguish but 

 usually without any of the vinous -pink tinge on breast and sides 

 of neck. 



First winter. — Like adult. The juvenile plumage is completely 

 moulted (including wings and tail) Aug. -Oct. 



Measurements and structure. — q wing 140-153 mm., tail 98-109, 

 tarsus 22-24, bill from skull 53-63 (12 measured). $ wing 136-148, 

 bill 50-58. Primaries : 1st about half 2nd, 4th and 5th longest, 

 2nd 15-28 mm. shorter, 3rd and 6th 1-5 shorter ; 3rd to 6th emargi- 

 nated outer webs. Secondaries between 7th and 10th primaries, 

 tips fairly square. Tail square, ten feathers, tips rounded. Bill 

 much compressed, decurved, very fine towards point (see fig., 

 vol. 1, p. 4). Nostrils bare. No rictal or nasal bristles. 



Soft parts. — Bill blackish, base and lower mandible greyish ; 

 legs and feet slate-grey ; iris brown. 



Characters and allied forms. — U. e. saturata (east Siberia, 

 Mongolia) is slightly darker on mantle ; U. e. major (Egypt) has a 



