734 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



shafts, longer black tips extending up outer web as short narrow 

 edging, usually with small white spot at apex, more grey on inner 

 webs extending in 5th right up to shaft, 6th with outer web and 

 shaft ash-grey to whitish ash-grey, inner web grey shading to 

 blackish-grey on inner edge, tip black with white apex, 7th same 

 but outer web grey and spot at apex larger (occasionally no black 

 on outer web at tip), 8th as last but tip grey with a subterminal 

 patch of black (varying in extent and occasionally absent) on inner 

 web and occasionally a spot on outer web, 9th to 11th all grey with 

 occasionally a blackish edging near tip of inner web ; secondaries 

 ash-grey shading to white at base and on inner edge of inner webs 

 of inner feathers ; outer primary-coverts, bastard-wing and feathers 

 along edge and bend of wing white, rest of wing-coverts pale blue- 

 grey as mantle. This plumage is acquired by complete moult July 

 (occasionally June) to Oct., and even Nov. Summer. — A partial 

 moult involving body -feathers only (not wing-feathers, wing-coverts 

 or tail-feathers) takes place Jan.-Mar., and occasionally finishing as 

 late as April and May. As winter but whole head all round brown 

 shading to blackish on posterior edge, narrow white line round 

 posterior edge of orbit ; back of neck pure white not ash-grey as 

 winter. N.B. — Individuals are often suffused with pink more often 

 in summer than in winter and more conspicuously on under-parts 

 than upper-parts ; this pink tinge fades to a great extent in dried 

 skins but is sometimes quite strong in skins even 30 years old. 



Nestling (Plate 11). — Closely covered with longish soft down 

 with fine silky tips. Upper-parts rather dark buff heavily marked 

 with blotches and patches (varying in size) of brown-black, those on 

 crown forming an irregular surrounding line interrupted on nape, 

 with spots in centre and a patch on fore-head, several irregular 

 patches on sides of head and a pair on each side of throat, on back 

 of neck and down centre of mantle and back forming irregular 

 double fines with broad diagonal blotches round sides of upper-parts 

 and on wings ; under-parts buff, pale in centre of breast, somewhat 

 rufous at base of throat but most of rest of under-parts with dark 

 brown bases of down not completely concealed. 



Juvenile. — Fore-head and extending slightly over eyes pale 

 brown to buffish-white ; narrow ring round eye, patch behind eye 

 and back of neck white ; lores and anterior part of ear-coverts pale 

 buff to whitish ; patch in front of eye, line under eye and posterior 

 part of ear-coverts dark brown ; crown and mantle brown, feathers 

 narrowly edged and tipped pale buff to whitish and bases grey to 

 whitish ; upper scapulars same but with long yellowish -buff tips, 

 lower ones ash-grey with whitish tips ; back ash-grey, feathers very 

 faintly tipped pale yellow-buff ; rump and upper tail-coverts white, 

 sometimes with a few buff tips ; under-parts white, with a patch 

 of yellow-brown on sides of upper-breast and often some flank- 

 feathers tipped same and a wash across upper-breast ; axillaries 

 and under wing-coverts as adult but usually some grey-black on 

 outer under primary-coverts ; tail-feathers white with huffish- 



