650 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



parallel bands, some feathers tipped and edged white ; lower 

 scapulars brown-black, broadly tipped white, some more or less 

 white ; rest of upper-parts and all under -parts white ; tail-feathers 

 white, central ones with outer webs faintly suffused palest grey 

 and more or less clouded dusky-brown at tip ; primaries black with 

 white bases increasing in extent on inner ones which are more 

 or less white ; secondaries white, most of innermost and their 

 coverts with inner webs or both webs clouded pale dusky-brown, 

 shading to white or palest grey towards tip, some brown-black 

 shading to dusky-brown or pale grey at edge ; primary-coverts 

 black, basal halves white ; median and lower series of lesser coverts 

 black ; rest of wing-co verts white. This plumage is acquired by 

 complete moult June to Jan. Female. — As male but feathers of 

 fore-head and lores brown-black with white bases and intermixed 

 with white feathers ; crown, ear-coverts and nape brown-black. 

 N.B. — White of upper-parts is sometimes clouded with pale grey. 

 As season advances, black upper-parts owing to fading become 

 brownish. Summer. Male and female. — The body -feathers (not 

 all scapulars), in some all tail-feathers or central pan only, inner- 

 most secondaries and coverts, some median and lesser coverts, 

 but not rest of wings are moulted Jan. to June. Coloration as 

 winter but female as male ; white upper-parts not sullied with grey 

 in birds examined. 



Nestling. — Down on fore-head cream-white ; narrow irregular 

 black-brown line from base of upper mandible to hinder crown ; 

 rest of crown pale greyish-buff, irregularly mottled and dotted with 

 tufts of black-brown ; nape pale greyish-buff, down with sooty- 

 brown bases ; from nape to mantle two irregular parallel sooty- 



Juvenile of the Avocet (Eecurvirostra avosetta). 



black lines ; two irregular black patches on rump ; an irregular 

 black-brown line along ulna, another from base of uropygial tuft 

 towards wing ; uropygial tuft black intermixed with light buff ; 

 rest of upper -parts pale greyish-buff intermixed with light buff and 

 sooty-brown ; from base of upper mandible through eye a narrow 

 black-brown line ; rest of under-parts cream -white intermixed with 

 dusky-brown round tibia. Bill slightly upturned at tip. 



Juvenile. — Like adult but fore -head, lores, crown down to eye 

 and line below eye and upper -part of nape sepia, feathers faintly 



