THE CAPERCAILLIE. 851 



narrow greenish -glossy margin ; centre of mantle and scapulars 

 dark brown finely vermiculated red-brown and tips of longer 

 scapulars more or less vermiculated grey ; rest of upper -parts 

 black-brown finely vermiculated bluish-grey but outer series of 

 upper tail-coverts mostly black with varying amount of dark grey 

 or brownish vermiculations and conspicuous but narrow white tips ; 

 lores and feathers on sides of upper mandible black with slight 

 greenish tinge ; chin and upper -throat glossy green, feathers with 

 black centres, narrow, somewhat elongated and stiff ; lower -throat 

 as sides of neck but darker and feathers sometimes with somewhat 

 glossy tips ; broad band across upper-breast glossy green, feathers 

 with black-brown bases ; rest of breast brown-black, feathers more 

 or less tipped (narrowly) glossy and those in centre with varying 

 amount of white patches ; sides of breast brown-black vermiculated 

 grey, flanks less vermiculated and feathers with white tips varying 

 in breadth ; feathers of belly and tibia of loose structure, dark 

 brown tipped white ; those on sides of tarsus also loose and grey- 

 brown, those on front of tarsus closer structure and darker brown 

 vermiculated reddish -brown ; under tail-coverts black tipped white 

 (longer ones sometimes without white tips) bases of loose structure, 

 tips compact ; axillaries white with slight brown tips ; inner half of 

 under wing-coverts white, outer half dark brown vermiculated 

 rufous and with a few white patches at edge of wing ; tail black, 

 sides of feathers, especially central ones, more or less vermiculated 

 dark grey, across distal half of tail a broad but irregular band of 

 grey -white spots or marks varying in individuals ; primaries dark 

 brown with outer webs more or less freckled paler brown at tips 

 and mottled grey basally except outermost and inner three which 

 are uniform ; secondaries dark brown with sides of outer webs 

 vermiculated red-brown and tips greyish ; primary -co verts dark 

 brown ; rest of wing-coverts finely vermiculated red-brown as 

 centre of mantle and some median and greater with some greyish 

 vermiculations at tips. This plumage is acquired by complete 

 moult July-Sept, sometimes not finished Oct. Summer. — A partial 

 moult confined to head and neck takes place May or June. New 

 feathers on sides of throat, a narrow line on sides of chin, some on 

 base of throat, a few on crown and usually a few mixed with 

 metallic green of chin are short and round-tipped, brown-black 

 vermiculated grey without bluish tinge and more coarsely ver- 

 miculated than elongated blue -grey winter feathers, those on sides 

 of chin sometimes with fine whitish shaft -streaks, those among 

 metallic feathers on chin mostly black with indistinct grey freckles. 

 Adult female. Winter and summer. — Crown, back and sides of 

 neck and upper-mantle barred orange-buff and black with varying 

 amount of blue gloss on penultimate black bar which is broad, 

 extreme tips whitish-grey more or less speckled black ; mantle, 

 scapulars, back and rump mostly black-brown with orange-buff 

 bars narrow and usually mostly concealed, tips of feathers mottled 

 orange -buff or rufous -buff and with varying amount (most marked 



