654 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



primary-coverts black-brown, inner ones tipped white ; greater 

 and median coverts as mantle but more broadly edged and tipped 

 white (greater sometimes with an oval white mark towards tip of 

 inner webs) ; lesser coverts dark ash-brown tipped white. This 

 plumage is acquired by complete moult July to Dec. 



Summer. Adult male. — Most of the body-feathers, usually 

 tail, some innermost secondaries and coverts, sometimes some 

 median and an odd lesser covert are moulted Feb. to May, but not 

 rest of wings ; sometimes many winter body-feathers are retained. 

 Feathers of fore -head sepia, faintly edged light pink-cinnamon ; 

 crown and upper-mantle heavily streaked sepia, feathers edged at 

 sides pink-cinnamon ; nape same but streaks narrower and in some 

 paler ; feathers of mantle and scapulars with black-brown or dark 

 sepia centres, notched and edged at sides pink-cinnamon, scapulars 

 narrowly tipped white or light pink-buff ; upper tail-coverts as 

 winter but suffused pink-cinnamon ; lores sepia, feathers faintly 

 edged light pink-cinnamon ; small patch below eye white ; eye- 

 stripe and cheeks pink-cinnamon, sometimes faintly streaked 

 sepia ; ear -coverts same but streaked sepia ; chin pale pink- 

 cinnamon or white minutely spotted sepia ; remaining under-parts 

 pink-cinnamon deepening to orange -cinnamon on breast and belly , 

 some feathers narrowly edged white, feathers of sides of neck 

 (sometimes fore-neck), sides of body, flanks and under tail-coverts 

 with median sepia streaks, under tail-coverts and sometimes flanks 

 irregularly barred or with sagittate sepia markings ; vent some- 

 times intermixed with white ; tail-feathers as winter but two 

 central pairs sometimes suffused light pink-cinnamon ; wing as 

 winter but new innermost secondaries and wing-coverts as scapulars. 

 Female. — As male, but feathers of upper -parts edged and notched 

 paler pink-cinnamon and white, scapulars more broadly tipped 

 wmite (sometimes edged pale ash-brown) ; upper tail-coverts 

 usually as winter ; eye-stripe paler, sometimes white ; cheeks^ 

 sides of neck and throat white, more or less suffused light pink- 

 cinnamon and narrowly streaked sepia ; upper-breast, sides of 

 belly and flanks intermixed with white, all feathers of upper-breast 

 more or less narrowly streaked or spotted sepia ; belly and vent 

 mostly white ; under tail-coverts as winter, a few suffused pink- 

 cinnamon ; tail usually as winter ; new innermost secondaries 

 and coverts as scapulars ; new median coverts as winter but edged 

 or notched light pink-cinnamon. N.B. — Amount of pink-cinnamon 

 on under-parts varies individually. 



Nestling. — From base of upper mandible to crown a median 

 sepia streak ; crown sepia ; from lores, above eye encircling hinder 

 crown a light buff band, tips of down sepia ; centre of nape light 

 buff, down sepia at base ; from nape to uropygial tuft, an irregular 

 broad sepia band intermixed light buff ; remaining upper -parts 

 light buff and greyish -white, more or less intermixed sepia ; a 

 sepia streak from lores through eye ; under-parts greyish -white, 

 down of cheeks, chin, throat and fore-neck sooty-brown at base, 



