300 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



in winter ; wing as winter but new innermost secondaries with 

 tips rounder and less pointed and in some edged light buff. 

 N.B. — Another type of eclipse has feathers of mantle, scapulars, 

 back and part of rump dark ash-grey or blackish-grey, more or less 

 coarsely vermiculated greyish- white, sides of body and flanks 

 usually not so strongly barred and more or less vermiculated ash- 

 brown and white. Every intermediate phase occurs between these 

 two types. Amount and degree of spotting on under-parts varies 

 considerably. 



Adult female. Eclipse. — Crown streaked black-brown, feathers 

 broadly edged cinnamon or buff ; nape pink-buff narrowly streaked 

 dusky ; mantle and scapulars black- brown, feathers with broad V- 

 or U-shaped marks of light buff or pink-buff and edged same ; 

 scapulars with broad streaks, and markings of same, lowest ones 

 sepia edged white at tip ; back and rump black-brown, feathers 

 with V-shaped or transverse bars and tips of light buff or cream : 

 upper tail -coverts sepia with broad cream or buff fringes and with 

 irregular pink-buff streaks and bars ; cheeks and sides of neck 

 pinkish or light buff narrowly streaked black-brown ; chin, throat 

 and fore -neck light buff, feathers with small dusky spots towards 

 tip, in some chin and throat uniform ; feathers of upper-breast with 

 sepia or dusky-brown centres more or less concealed by broad 

 cream -buff fringes ; sides of body and flanks light sepia with 

 irregular U-shaped markings and streaks of pink-buff or cream-buff 

 and edged same ; lower-breast white, feathers with imperfectly 

 concealed dusky-brown bases ; belly and vent white or cream, 

 spotted, mottled and streaked dusky-brown; under tail-coverts 

 white with irregular markings of pale sepia ; axillaries white 

 marked dusky-brown ; under wing-coverts ash-brown edged white ; 

 tail-feathers : central pair black-brown, remainder sepia edged 

 cream and all more or less with irregular streaks and bars of pink- 

 or cream -buff ; wing as male but green speculum usually absent or 

 ill-defined, outer secondaries streaked and margined buff on outer 

 web, rest with outer webs buff-brown, sometimes mottled black, in 

 some lights with a greenish or coppery -pink tinge, black sub- 

 terminal border narrower often ill -defined, and white tips narrower 

 than in male, innermost secondaries sepia narrowly bordered white 

 or buff (in some with black- brown central shadings and irregular 

 white or buff markings), one next speculum sepia tipped white, 

 outer web often black-brown, usually with a pale drab or buff 

 border along shaft ; wing-coverts pale sepia, greater coverts with 

 broad pink- buff tips ; median and lesser coverts narrowly edged 

 and sometimes barred buff. This plumage is acquired by a com- 

 plete moult in autumn. N.B. — A type of female occurs with breast, 

 belly and vent more or less heavily spotted sepia. 



Adult female. Summer. — Most body-feathers, central pair of 

 tail-feathers (sometimes most tail-feathers) and sometimes some 

 innermost secondaries are moulted March to May but not rest of 

 wings. Coloration as winter but mantle, scapulars, new feathers o£ 



