284 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



is acquired by a moult in autumn and winter. Summer. — One or 

 two specimens examined were moulting odd body-feathers. Colora- 

 tion as winter. 



Adult male. Eclipse. — The body-feathers and probably inner- 

 most secondaries are moulted in late summer. Upper-parts as 

 juvenile male, under-parts as adult female, tail and wing as adult 

 male. Crown as in female, but darker, feathers with fewer buff 

 edges ; nape as in juvenile ; mantle and scapulars black-brown as 

 juvenile, feathers with narrow pink-buff fringes, some of those of 

 mantle with small V-shaped or crescent-shaped buff mark towards 

 tip ; back and rump black-brown glossed dark green, one or two 

 feathers with small V-shaped buff marks ; upper tail-coverts as 

 juvenile ; rest of head and neck as in adult female, but a dark 

 streak from base of upper mandible through eye to nape ; remain- 

 ing under-parts as in adult female ; tail and wing as in adult male. 

 X.B. — Only one specimen in eclipse examined (<J Aug. 9th, 1911, 

 Kansas, Brit. Mus.). 



Adult female. Eclipse. — Fore-head and crown black-brown, 

 feathers edged buff ; nape buff narrowly streaked dusky ; rest of 

 upx^er-parts black-brown, feathers edged light buff or (except 

 scapulars) often greyish -white, and a few with V-shaped or indefinite 

 buff markings (some scapulars sometimes with buff shaft -streaks) ; 

 loral spot white (in some streaked dusky) ; cheeks, sides and front of 

 neck light buff narrowly streaked dusky ; black-brown streak (in 

 some ill-defined) from eye to nape ; chin huffish-white ; upper- 

 breast dusky-brown, feathers with broad fringes, streaks along 

 shafts and numerous oval spots or markings of buff ; remainder of 

 breast, belly, vent and under tail- coverts whitish or pink-buff 

 heavily streaked or spotted dusky-brown, these markings more or 

 less concealed ; sides of breast and flanks sepia with buff V-shaped 

 or irregular markings and fringes ; axillaries, under wing-coverts 

 and tail as male ; wing as in male but speculum duller, outer webs 

 of middle secondaries sepia tinged dull green, innermost secondaries 

 sepia tinged dark olive -green and narrowly edged cream on outer 

 webs ; greater coverts apparently not with distal halves white as 

 male, outer ones sometimes with outer webs white towards tip, 

 inner webs with large oval sepia mark, rest with sepia tips tinged 

 pale blue, narrowly tipped white and often with one or two white 

 bars, sometimes outer greater coverts sepia narrowly tipped white 

 all round and with one or more white bars ; median and lesser 

 coverts as male. This plumage is acquired by complete moult in 

 autumn. 



Adult female. Winter and summer. — Coloration as in eclipse 

 but feathers of crown more broadly edged buff ; upper-parts darker, 

 feathers more broadly edged light buff and mostly with U-shaped 

 buff bars ; new tail-feathers with broader edges and with irregular 

 markings of pink-buff. Towards end of summer under-parts appear 

 more spotted and streaked owing to abrasion of edges of feathers. 

 Insufficient material available to determine moult. 



