662 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



marks ; vent white, sometimes more or less streaked or spotted 

 sepia ; axillaries and under wing-coverts white more or less irregu- 

 larly barred sepia, usually with subterminal sagittate sepia marks, 

 under median and lesser coverts often entirely white ; tail-feathers 

 white, more or less suffused drab, some tinged pink-buff, especially 

 central feathers and heavily barred black-brown ; primaries black ; 

 distal three -fourths of inner webs mottled and barred white, inner 

 ones tipped white, 7th and succeeding notched white on outer webs ; 

 secondaries black-brown, tipped and both webs notched and 

 indented white, innermost and coverts as scapulars ; primary- 

 coverts black, inner ones broadly tipped and sometimes with one 

 or two notches of white ; greater coverts as secondaries ; median 

 coverts sepia, edged and more or less irregularly notched and 

 indented white ; lesser coverts sepia edged white. This plumage 

 is acquired by complete moult Aug. to Dec. Summer. — The body- 

 feathers (not all scapulars), tail, some or all innermost secondaries 

 and coverts, sometimes some median and lesser coverts are moulted 

 Feb. to May, but not rest of wings. As winter but feathers of 

 crown and nape edged cinnamon -buff ; feathers of mantle and 

 upper scapulars edged and notched cinnamon-buff ; lower scapulars 

 bordered cinnamon-buff ; sides of neck, throat, fore-neck and 

 breast cinnamon-buff streaked sepia ; sides of belly and flanks 

 suffused cinnamon-buff ; tail as winter ; wing as winter but new 

 innermost secondaries and coverts as lower scapulars ; new median 

 coverts notched pale cinnamon-buff. 



Nestling. — Forehead and broad eye -stripes meeting on nape 

 cream-buff or pink-buff, down with brown -black tips ; from base 

 of upper mandible to crown a narrow median black or black-brown 

 line ; centre of crown brown-black, intermixed towards nape with 

 cream-buff or pink-buff ; from posterior corner of eye to nape an 

 interrupted brown-black line ; centre of lower-nape brown-black ; 

 rest of nape cream -buff or pink-buff ; two brown -black patches 

 on wing ; from nape to middle of back two parallel brown -black 

 bands ; on either side another similar band extending towards 

 side of breast ; remaining upper-parts pinkish or cream-buff with 

 irregular and variable bands and patches of brown -black ; sides 

 of neck and fore-neck suffused cinnamon-buff ; remaining under- 

 pays cream-buff. 



Juvenile. — Like adult summer but feathers of upper -parts 

 edged light or warm buff instead of cinnamon -buff, nape with 

 narrower and paler sepia streaks ; feathers of mantle and scapulars 

 dark sepia or brown-black edged buff and scapulars notched as 

 well ; upper tail-coverts as adult but suffused buff ; sides of face, 

 sides of neck, throat, breast and belly light or warm buff, more 

 narrowly streaked sepia than in adult ; sides of belly and flanks 

 same, streaked and irregularly barred sepia ; vent white ; under 

 tail-coverts and axillaries as adult but usually less barred and 

 without sagittate sepia markings, sometimes entirely white except 

 for brown shafts, under tail-coverts more narrowly streaked ; 



