116 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Description (Plate 4). — Adult male. Winter .—Bases of feathers 



of fore-head and line over eyes greyish-white finely streaked black ; 



rest of fore -head and crown dark 



slate, usually tinged buffish on 



fore-part, finely streaked black ; 



broad nuchal band, extending up 



sides of head in a narrow line to 



back of eye, rufous, each feather 



with thick black streaks at tip, 



bases white ; rest of upper -parts 



slate-blue, palest on rump and 



Upper tail-COVerts, darkest On Upper Senile Merlin (Falco c. cesalon). 



mantle, each feather with narrow 



black mesial streak, basal part of inner webs of outer scapulars 

 greyer and often barred brown ; lores greyish-white, tipped black 

 forming a black line in front of eye ; cheeks and ear-coverts greyish- 

 white, marked rufous and streaked brown -black, tips of ear-coverts 

 darker with slatish tinge ; chin and throat buffish- or greyish-white, 

 often unstreaked but sometimes with some very fine streaks on 

 throat ; rest of under -parts pinkish -rufous (varying in shade indi- 

 vidually but always deeper when freshly moulted and becoming- 

 whitish in worn plumage), each feather with mesial black-brown 

 streak, usually fine but sometimes drop-shaped and usually forming 

 large spots on flanks ; centre of belly, tibia and under tail-coverts 

 with very fine streaks ; axillaries and under wing-coverts barred 

 rufous-brown and white with dark shafts, upper series of feathers 

 buff streaked black-brown ; tail-feathers, distal portion forming 

 broad band black, tips greyish -white, basal three-quarters slate- 

 blue with some incomplete black bars which are sometimes absent r 

 especially on central tail-feathers, and rarely complete, inner webs 

 of all except central tail-feathers more ashy with fine dark freck- 

 ling and usually strongly barred black but exceptionally with only 

 incomplete bars ; primaries grey -black with ashy-grey tips more- 

 conspicuous on inner feathers, outer webs tinged grey often in 

 form of incomplete bars, outer web of 1st primary usually with 

 whitish serrated edging, inner webs closely barred ashy-grey to 

 white ; secondaries with black shafts and slate-blue outer webs- 

 (ashy at tips) and less whitish and less well-defined bars on inner 

 webs, innermost secondaries without bars ; primary -co verts like 

 secondaries but not quite so slate ; wing-coverts as mantle but 

 upper series of lesser coverts often tinged buff. This plumage 

 is acquired by complete moult, wing-feathers commencing in June 

 and moult complete usually in Nov. but sometimes not until Dec. 

 and exceptionally just finishing in Jan. Summer. — What certainly 

 appears to be a second moult confined to body -feathers takes place 

 Feb.-March and occasionally not finishing until April. Coloration 

 as in winter. 



Adult female. Winter. — Bases of feathers of fore-head and 



