152 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



lores as male ; round eyes buffish-white ; ear-coverts dark brown, 

 feathers edged rufous ; under-parts buff to pale creamy -buff 

 streaked dark brown to rufous-brown, darker and less rufous on 

 throat and breast than on belty and flanks ; axillaries and under 

 wing-coverts as male but more buffish and with wider streaks ; 

 tail-feathers broadly barred black-brown, bar at tip very broad, 

 central pair greyish-brown, bars usually not very prominent, next 

 two pairs paler often with some rufous and with bars more 

 prominent, and three outer pairs with varying amount of white 

 and rufous and bars except at tip usually rufous ; wing-feathers,, 

 tips black-brown, very narrowly edged whitish when fresh, outer 

 webs and distal part of inner webs dark brown washed varying 

 amount of grey, basal part of inner webs pale brown to white, 

 all barred black especially prominent on under side of wing ; 

 primary -co verts dark brown washed varying amount of grey, 

 barred black ; greater coverts brown, tipped rufous when new ; 

 median and lesser coverts with dark brown centres and broad 

 rufous-buff to pale buff edges, except outer ones which usually 

 have no pale edgings. This plumage is acquired by complete 

 moult as in male. 



Nestling. — At first down (a) short but covering bird fairly thickly 

 except on belly where it is rather scanty, white with buffish. tinge 

 on sides of head, neck, centre of back and wings, round eye a 

 narrow dark brown ring. Later thickly covered with long down 

 (c) which is of about same colour but rather more creamy-buff on 

 upper-parts. (N.B. — In this stage only partially feathered birds 

 examined.) 



Juvenile. Male and female. — Upper-parts like adult female 

 but edges of feathers of crown and nape more rufous ; wider rufous 

 to buff tips to all feathers of upper-parts and especially all wing- 

 coverts ; upper tail-coverts white with dark shafts and often 

 rufous-buff tips ; chin creamy unstreaked ; rest of under-parts 

 including under tail-coverts, axillaries and under wing-coverts 

 deep rufous-buff almost uniform but feathers with slightly darker 

 rufous shaft-streaks ; under wing-coverts covering primaries paler 

 buff with large black centres ; tail much as in adult female but 

 central pair darker, bands more prominent, blacker and more 

 rufous ; wing-feathers much as adult female but darker and whitish 

 tips more prominent ; wing-coverts also darker brown and with 

 prominent rufous tips. 



First winter. Male and female. — Like juvenile. 



First summer. Male. — Body-plumage sometimes begins to 

 moult in Dec. and occasionally tail, but usually moult does not 

 start until spring. After this moult upper-parts are dark grey- 

 brown, feathers of crown and nape more or less edged rufous ; ear- 

 coverts, sides of neck, chin and throat streaked dark brown and 

 rufous-brown, edgings of feathers whitish or pale buff and with 

 varying amount of grey ; sometimes mostly dull grey on chin and 



