S60 A PEACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



of neck chestnut with varying amount of rather broad black 

 barring ; rest of upper-parts varying chestnut to rufous-brown ; 

 finely barred and vermiculated black but with broad black marks 

 near tips of feathers of mantle and scapulars, long upper tail- 

 coverts often, and scapulars occasionally, with some grey or whitish 

 tips ; (almost invariably some buff-barred summer -feathers on 

 upper-parts and sometimes considerable amount of buff barring) ; 

 apex of chin, and especially moustachial region, and fore-part of 

 lores black, feathers more or less tipped white or mostly white ; 

 throat to upper-breast, sides of head and neck chestnut, sometimes 

 almost uniform but usually more or less barred or spotted black 

 and often feathers tipped white on ear-coverts and sides of head ; 

 breast, sides and flanks dark chestnut to rufous-brown, finely 

 barred and often vermiculated black and feathers slightly tipped 

 grey-white ; centre of under -parts black with varying amount of 

 chestnut or rufous barring and feathers tipped white varying 

 greatly in amount ; under tail-coverts rufous vermiculated black, 

 tipped grey-white with narrow black subterminal bar ; feathers on 

 tibia and front of tarsus brown tipped white, those of sides of tarsus 

 and toes more hair -like and white ; axillaries and inner half of 

 under wing-coverts white with often some brown-black markings, 

 outer half brown-black and white varying and with sometimes 

 rufous marks ; (amount of black, shade of rufous and amount of 

 white on under -parts vary greatly and often there are some buff 

 and black barred summer feathers) ; tail-feathers black, varying 

 number (but not outer 3 or 4 pairs) tipped dark grey with fine 

 rufous vermiculated subterminal line, central pair vermiculated 

 and sometimes irregularly barred rufous along edges almost to 

 centres ; primaries black-brown, outer ones with varying amount 

 of grey edging towards bases, inner ones tipped grey-white (varying); 

 secondaries and greater coverts black-brown with varying amount 

 of rufous vermiculation on outer webs ; innermost secondaries, and 

 median wing-coverts like rest of upper-parts ; lesser coverts 

 blacker with fewer rufous vermiculations ; primary-coverts and 

 coverts along edge of wing black-brown, sometimes with varying 

 amount of grey -white tips. This plumage is acquired by complete 

 moult beginning with inner primaries in June (while summer body- 

 feathers are still growing) ; body-plumage usually begins Aug. 

 (sometimes July) and ends Nov. or Dec. or even later ; tail usually 

 beginning July is moulted very rapidly, 6 or 8 central feathers 

 usually growing almost simultaneously. Summer. — A gradual moult 

 (often temporarily arrested) of feathers of upper -parts, head and 

 neck all round, upper-breast, some flank-feathers and some inner- 

 most greater and median coverts and secondaries takes place May 

 and June but sometimes commences March-April (very rarely Feb.) ; 

 rest of under-parts, wings and tail are not moulted. Whole upper- 

 parts including upper tail-coverts, scapulars and often one or two 

 innermost secondaries, greater and median coverts, black narrowly 

 barred rufous to yellowish-buff and at tips of feathers often whitish 



