558 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



coverts, are moulted March to June but not rest of wings. A 

 varying number of winter -feathers are retained on upper and 

 under-parts. Colour of ruff and upper -parts varies very greatly 

 and for convenience in description may be grouped as follows, 

 though it must be understood that every intergradation exists 

 between these " types." 



Upper-parts, tail, inner secondaries, ^ . ., 7 . ,. , , „ 



j ■ . Occipital tuft and pectoral ruff, 



and new wing -coverts. r j r u 



Type A. Black or brown more or less 1. Sandy-buff or chestnut, uniform, 

 glossed purplish. or barred, freckled or spotted 



black, sometimes glossed purple 

 or 



2. Purple generally, interspersed 



white or barred sandy-buff or 

 rufous 



or 



3. White, or white ticked buff. 



Type B. Whitish, barred and As in A above but 1 is rare. 



freckled thickly with brown and 



black, latter glossed purple. 



Type C. Chestnut or sandy-buff, As in A, but in addition (4) chest - 



with markings of brown, purplish- nut interspersed with white or 



black or black. sandy. 



Sides of breast and flanks usually black, glossed purple and inter- 

 spersed with white but sometimes like ruff ; belly, vent and under 

 tail-coverts white, latter sparsely spotted. N.B. — After summer 

 plumage is attained, feathers on fore -part of crown, round eyes and 

 lores are lost and replaced by numerous tubercles. 



Adult female. Summer. — No " ruff " and no marked varia- 

 tions. Crown and nape sandy, feathers narrowly streaked black ; 

 feathers of mantle with black or black-brown centres glossed purple 

 and edged ash -brown and sandy-buff ; scapulars and central upper 

 tail-coverts sepia or ash-brown, irregularly marked black or black- 

 brown and sometimes warm buff ; ear-coverts and cheeks sandy, 

 feathers with wavy black bars and streaks ; chin and throat white, 

 spotted dusky ; lower -throat and breast fawn-brown or warm buff, 

 feathers usually barred subterminally with dark sepia and broadly 

 edged white or buff ; flanks white washed sandy-brown or warm 

 buff and sometimes marked sepia ; remaining under-parts white ; 

 tail-feathers sepia, sometimes irregularly marked buff and tipped 

 white, two central pairs usually sepia with irregular bars of black- 

 brown and usually of warm buff speckled brown ; new inner secon- 

 aries as scapulars ; new median and lesser coverts ash-brown, 

 barred subterminally black-brown, sometimes shaded and barred 

 warm buff and tipped ash-brown and white or light buff. 



Nestling. — Down on fore-head pinkish-buff ; a black-brown 

 median line from base of upper mandible to crown ; crown pinkish 

 and yellowish -buff irregularly marked black-brown ; nape dusky, 

 down tipped yellowish-buff ; remaining upper -parts (including 

 back of thighs) yellowish-buff intermixed with velvety black-brown, 



