82 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



same but with narrow brown streaks ; axillaries and under wing- 

 coverts buff to white, those covering outer primaries with large 

 dark brown tips forming a blackish patch ; tail buff, barred brown 

 and tipped dull grey, bars on outer feathers and inner webs of 

 inner feathers considerably narrower than on central pair and outer 

 webs, central pair considerably freckled grey and brown and distal 

 portions of other feathers, especially on outer webs, with varying 

 amount of freclding, bases of outer feathers pale buff to white 

 on inner webs ; primaries : basal part of outer 5 or 6 primaries 

 rich buff to buff with two or three widely spaced brown bars, distal 

 part with bars closer and interspaces bufhsh-grey to dull grey 

 thickly freckled brown especially at tips, inner edges and bases 

 of inner webs uniform pale buff to white ; inner primaries and 

 secondaries greyer, more narrowly barred brown and more freckled 

 and with most of inner webs whitish or white ; primary-coverts 

 black-brown with almost obsolete grey freckled bars and buff bases 

 to outer webs ; greater and median coverts as scapulars with 

 number and disposition of large whitish spots varying individually 

 and sometimes absent ; lesser coverts with white or whitish bases 

 showing along edge of bone, rest dark brown with buff fringes. 

 This plumage is acquired by complete moult Sept .-Dec . Summer. — 

 No regular moult but a few feathers on body are sometimes moulted 

 in Feb. Plumage as winter and no very noticeable change by 

 abrasion but when very worn becomes rather paler. N.B. — 

 Although there is considerable individual variation males tend to 

 be paler than females. 



Nestling. — Down white, short, soft and fairly plentiful covering 

 whole body fairly well and tarsi and toes to bases of claws with a 

 bare patch at back of tarsal joint. N.B. — In this stage exactly 

 like nestling Tawny Owl but " face " longer. 



Juvenile. — Except for primaries, secondaries, primary -coverts 

 and tail, feathers of which are like adult, all feathers are very 

 loosely constructed and of downy character especially on crown, 

 throat and belly. Crown dark brown, each feather tipped cream 

 to creamy -white ; " horns " not very marked but feathers longer 

 than those of rest of crown ; rest of upper -parts brown, feathers 

 tipped and barred creamy -white ; facial disk fore-part and upper- 

 part black, lower part and hinder part brownish-buff and black- 

 brown ; under-parts dull bufhsh-white narrowly barred with rather 

 pale brown ; lower flanks, belly and under tail -coverts pale creamy- 

 buff with no bars or only very faint ones ; lesser, median and greater 

 wing-coverts pale creamy-buff barred brown ; wing- and tail- 

 feathers and primary -co verts of normal structure and like adults. 



First winter. — Like adults. The juvenile body -plumage, 

 lesser, median and greater coverts commence to moult when wings 

 and tail are only starting to grow, but moult is often not complete 

 until Nov., though some have nearly completed moult even as 

 early as May ; downy juvenile feathers on crown, vent and under 



