S44 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



others are partially grown.* Summer. — A few feathers are moulted 

 on head, neck and throat in April but this moult is only partial and 

 perhaps not regular. 



Nestling. — Closely covered with down with long, fine, hair-like 

 tips except fore-head, crown, round eyes and gape where down is 

 very sparse. Upper-parts black, glossed green, under-parts sooty 

 brown-black, down on chin, sides of head and throat tipped white 

 and coarse being enclosed with sheath but not to same extent as in 

 Coot. Down is replaced by juvenile feathers to tips of which it 

 clings. Thumb with rather strong claw curved at tip. 



Juvenile. — Crown, nape and neck dark brown ; rest of upper- 

 parts as adult but rather more reddish and less olive ; lores, under 

 eyes and ear-coverts buff freckled dark brown, feathers being tipped 

 dark brown ; chin and throat dull white tinged buff ; breast and 

 sides brown tinged slate and feathers lightly tipped whitish to 

 huffish, centre of breast with more white and belly with white tips 

 mostly concealing slate-brown bases of feathers : flanks brown with 

 buff to whitish-buff stripes varying in width and extent ; axillaries, 

 under and upper wing-coverts, wing -feathers and tail as in adult. 



First winter. — Crown and neck dark brown with some dark 

 slate showing at base of neck but feathers tipped dark olive-brown 

 (whole head and neck thus much browner than adult) ; chin and 

 throat with varying amount of dull white ; rest of throat, sides and 

 breast dark slate, feathers tipjied huffish-brown to varying extent 

 and with whitish fringes (in some slate almost concealed hj buffish- 

 brown tips) ; some stripes on flanks usually tinged buff. The 

 juvenile body -plumage is moulted Aug.-Dec. (sometimes not 

 finished Jan.) but wing -feathers, wing-coverts and tail-feathers are 

 not moulted and sometimes some juvenile body-feathers are 

 retained. N.B. — Occasionally tail is completely or partially 

 moulted. First summer. — A partial moult of head, neck and throat 

 takes place in April as in adult and this combined with abrasion of 

 tips of feathers makes bird more like adult but under-parts and 

 head are always browner and less uniform slate than adult. 



Measurements and structure. — q wing 170-188 mm., tail 65-80, 

 tarsus 48-53, bill from feathers on sides of upper mandible 25-20 

 (12 British measured). $ wing 166-175. Primaries : 2nd and 3rd 

 longest, 1st 15-21 mm. shorter, 4th 2-7 shorter, 5th 7-12 shorter ; 

 outer web of 1st very narrow and slightly serrated. Outermost 

 secondary shorter than 10th primary, tips pointed, innermost as 

 long as 7th or 8th primary, tips rounded. Tail much rounded, 12 

 feathers, tips rounded. Under tail-coverts nearly as long as tail. 

 Bill stout, compressed and tapering. At base of upper mandible an 

 elliptical fleshy plate or " shield," extending over centre of fore-head, 

 larger in males than females, very small in juvenile and 1st winter 

 and somewhat reduced in adults from Oct. to Dec. Nostril oblong 



* Just before the moult a varying number of wing- and tail-feathers are 

 broken off and this is so usual that it would appear to be done by the bird 

 intentionally.— BLF.W. 





