614 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



and notched white ; remaining upper -parts as winter ; ear -coverts, 

 cheeks, sides of neck and lower -throat white heavily streaked and 

 spotted sepia ; upper -breast white, more or less spotted or streaked 

 and sometimes barred sepia ; flanks white with irregular broad sepia 

 bars ; remaining under -parts and tail as winter ; wing as winter but 

 innermost secondaries and coverts as scapulars ; median and a 

 few lower lesser coverts tipped and broadly notched or barred 

 white. 



Nestling. — Down on fore-head and broad eye-stripes (which 

 almost meet on nape) light pink-cinnamon ; black median line 

 from base of upper mandible to crown ; crown black-brown irregu- 

 larly marked pink-cinnamon ; nape and uropygial tuft black-brown, 

 down with light pink-cinnamon tips ; a broad black median band 

 from nape to uropygial tuft ; a black-brown line along wing, another 

 along either side of rump ; a black- brown patch from uropygial tuft 

 towards wing and a sooty-brown patch around tibia ; remaining 

 upper-parts light pink-cinnamon ; a black line from lores through 

 eye to nape ; upper -breast white, down with long pink-cinnamon 

 tips ; remaining under-parts white. 



Juvenile. — Like winter adult but feathers of crown, nape, whole 

 mantle and scapulars warm sepia or black-brown edged and broadly 

 notched warm buff ; central short upper tail-coverts white with 

 (usually) faint terminal dusky lines ; lower -throat and upper- 

 breast as adult but streaks usually more pronounced ; remaining 

 under-parts as adult ; tail as adult but central pair tipped buff ; 

 wing as adult but innermost secondaries and coverts as scapulars 

 and median and lower lesser coverts warmer sepia tipped and 

 notched warm or light buff, innermost median notched warm or 

 light buff at sides of feathers and without buff tips. 



First winter. — As adult winter and only to be distinguished when 

 buff notches to innermost median coverts are not too* worn and 

 faded. The juvenile body-feathers, sometimes all tail-feathers, 

 sometimes apparently central pair only and sometimes no tail- 

 feathers, innermost secondaries and coverts, some median and 

 lesser coverts but not rest of wings are moulted Sept to Jan. First 

 summer. — Only to be distinguished from adult summer by buff 

 notches to innermost median coverts when not too abraded. Moult 

 as adult. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 120-128 mm., tail 44-52, 

 tarsus 34-38, bill from feathers 25-29 (12 measured). $ wing 125- 

 130, bill 25-31. Primaries : 1st minute, 2nd longest, 3rd equal or 

 2-4 mm. shorter, 4th 4.5-10 shorter, 5th 13-18 shorter, 6th 20-25 

 shorter. Longest inner secondary between 3rd and 7th primaries. 

 Tail very slightly rounded, central pair longest. Bill short, straight 

 and slender, groove in upper mandible extending about half length 

 of culmen. Legs long, a good deal of tibia exposed, tarsus scutel- 

 lated before and behind. Toes long and slender, hind toe present, 

 outer and middle ones webbed at base about up to 1st joint, middle 

 and inner ones indistinctly webbed at base. 



