228 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



back and rump), sides of body and flanks ash-brown, paler on neck, 

 sides of body and flanks ; lower scapulars, back and rump wiiite, 

 feathers tipped or suffused pale ash-brown ; narrow line above eye 

 and broad patch below eye white ; chin, throat and fore-neck 

 ash-white ; rest of under -parts white, feathers of breast, belly, 

 vent and under tail-coverts faintly edged light buff ; tail-feathers 

 ash-brown shading to white towards base of inner web ; primaries 

 and their coverts and secondaries more or less shaded pale ash- 

 brown towards tip ; innermost secondaries ash-brown with 

 white bases ; wing-coverts whitish more or less shaded pale 

 ash-brown towards tip, innermost median and greater coverts 

 ash-brown. 



First winter and summer. — New ash-brown feathers, some tipped 

 or edged white at side, others whitish with grey central streaks are 

 acquired on crown, and a few new white feathers may be acquired 

 on mantle, scapulars, sides of body and flanks, otherwise plumage 

 apparently as in juvenile, but very little winter material examined 

 and none in spring and summer. 



Second winter and summer. — As adult. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 580-628 mm. (one 577 

 mm.) (measured with tape, see vol. i, p. *xm), tail 161-180, tarsus 

 112-120, middle toe with claw 143-159, bill from feathers 101-112 

 (9 measured). $ wing 562-595, middle toe with claw 137-155, bill 

 from feathers 94-103 (8 measured). Primaries : 1st narrow^, pointed 

 and little more than half longest primary-covert, 3rd and 4th 

 about equal and longest, 2nd 10-27 mm. shorter, 5th 12-18 shorter, 

 6th 56-72 shorter ; 2nd emarginated inner web, 3rd and 4th both 

 webs, 5th outer web. Innermost secondaries when wing closed 

 extend considerably beyond longest primary. Tail short, rounded, 

 20 stifhsh feathers. Bill rather longer than head, straight, higher 

 than broad at base, gradually depressed, edges parallel, culmen (not 

 including concave depression) descending and almost straight to 

 nail then decurved, ridge broad and flat at base, upper mandible 

 with one vertical row of lamellse, under mandible with an external 

 and internal row ; nail large and occupying almost entire tip of 

 bill. Lores naked ; upper mandible with a lateral extension on 

 either side to anterior corner of eye ; in nestling, loral down extends 

 on to bill, and in juvenile, lores and concave depression on culmen 

 sparsely feathered. Nostrils situated rather nearer tip than base 

 of bill. Neck long. Trachea entering carina sterni. 



Soft parts. — Bill (ad.) anterior part black, including ridge of 

 culmen below concave depression, basal part and lores yellow, 

 yellow extending forward laterally to below middle of nares, but 

 sometimes hardly to middle and sometimes beyond, nares black; 

 (sometimes a blackish line or band at base of culmen bordering 

 fore-head and extending almost from eye to eye) ; intercrural space 

 yellow ; bill (juv.) flesh-coloured basally, dusky terminally ; legs 

 and feet (ad.) black, (juv.) greyish ; iris brown. 



