THE GREAT SXIPE. 673 



white ; median coverts broadly tipped white or white suffused 

 pale pink-buff. This plumage is acquired by complete moult in 

 autumn. Summer. — The body -feathers (not lowest scapulars and 

 sometimes apparently not feathers of back and rump), tail, some 

 innermost secondaries and coverts, most median and some lesser 

 coverts are moulted Feb. to May, but not rest of wings. Coloration 

 as winter but brown-black feathers of bands on head notched, 

 spotted or edged at sides pink-cinnamon, feathers of mantle nearly 

 all plentifully edged and notched pink-buff, mostly with U- or 

 V-shaped markings of same, feathers of rump more broadly edged 

 and notched pink-buff, sides of throat with less pronounced olive- 

 brown streaks ; rest of plumage as winter. 



Nestling. — Fore-head pale cinnamon-buff ; from base of upper 

 mandible, a black median line ; from above centre of eye extend- 

 ing and nearly meeting on hinder crown an irregular black line ; 

 three irregular black streaks often ill-defined down centre of crown ; 

 rest of crown intermixed cinnamon-buff and cream ; nape cinnamon- 

 buff, down sooty-black at base ; upper-parts variegated black, 

 ochraceous-tawny and cinnamon- buff with numerous cream dots ; 

 oye-stripe and patch below eye white or light buff ; a black line 

 often incomplete from lores to eye ; black moustachial streak in- 

 dicated ; remaining under -parts pale cinnamon -buff, still paler on 

 belly. 



Juvenile. — Like adult summer but feathers of mantle and 

 scapulars notched, barred or irregularly marked and tipped cinna- 

 mon, not pink-buff, feathers of sides of mantle and scapulars with 

 narrower margins usually of paler pink-buff on outer webs ; 6th 

 and 7th pairs of tail-feathers tipped pink-cinnamon and barred 

 same at base, in some with subterminal olive -brown bars, two next 

 pairs (4th and 5th) same but with white tips more or less suffused 

 pink-cinnamon, three outer pairs white with several olive -brown 

 bars extending to tip ; wing as adult but greater coverts usually 

 •with narrower white tips ; median coverts more narrowly tipped 

 light buff or white. 



First winter. Male. — As adult and difficult to distinguish 

 when juvenile tail is moulted. Worn and faded juvenile coverts 

 amongst new wing-coverts as compared with uniformly fresh wing- 

 coverts of adult in early winter, in most cases indicate a first winter 

 bird. The juvenile body-feathers, not lowest scapulars, apparently 

 usually tail, some innermost secondaries and coverts, some median 

 and lesser coverts are moulted in autumn. 



Measurements and structure. — £ wing 140-150 mm., tail 

 51-59, tarsus 33-37, bill from feathers 57-63 (12 measured). $ wing 

 139-149, bill 64-69. Primaries : 1st minute, 2nd longest, 3rd equal 

 or 2-5 mm. shorter, 4th 5-9 shorter, 5th 12-19 shorter, 6th 20-25 

 shorter. Longest inner secondary between 3rd and 6th primaries. 

 Tail with 16 and sometimes 18 feathers, fan-shaped, outer feathers 

 considerably narrower and more tapering than central ones, three 



VOL. II. 2 x 



