872 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Nestling. — Closely covered with soft down ; tarsi and toes 

 bare. Fore-head and sides of crown buff to yellow-buff with 

 blackish line or spots down sides, centre of crown dark red-brown to 

 blackish-brown ; nape rufous ; back of neck buff to yellow -buff with 

 short blackish line in centre ; rest of upper-parts rufous-buff with 

 three wide black lines and wings with black blotches ; sides of head 

 pale yellow -buff to pale buff with a brownish streak from base of 

 upper mandible and a black spot on ear-coverts ; under -parts buff - 

 white to pale buffish -yellow sometimes with a tawny tinge at base 

 of throat. Down is replaced by feathers. 



Juvenile. Male and female. — Crown and back of neck dark 

 brown, feathers with subterminal pale buff marks giving a spotted 

 appearance ; mantle and scapulars brown-black, feathers with mar- 

 gins and central streaks of buff to pale buff, those of upper -mantle 

 and base of back of neck more or less tinged rusty-rufous ; back, 

 rump and upper tail-coverts browner (less black) and with rather 

 more pale buff margins and centres and often bars ; sides of head 

 pale buff minutely speckled black ; chin pale buff ; sides and base 

 of throat same but streaked and with concentric lines of dark brown ; 

 flanks same but with thicker concentric lines or broken bars of 

 brown to black-brown ; tail-feathers small and narrow, buff and 

 rufous closely barred black ; wing-feathers much as adult female 

 but with pale buff barring ; wing-coverts as scapulars but with 

 larger centres, and greater often with bars of pale buff. 



First winter. — Like adults. The juvenile plumage is com- 

 pletely moulted commencing when bird is about half -grown, but 

 two outer primaries, which are not full-grown when inner primaries 

 and body commence to moult, and are like adult except for more 

 pointed tips, are not shed. Moult often not quite complete Nov. 

 and even Dec. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 235-260 mm., tail : 

 central 420-520, outermoiA 85-115, tarsus 60-78, bill from feathers 

 28-32 (12 British measured). $ wing 210-232, tail : central 255-290. 

 Primaries : 4th longest, 5th usually as long sometimes 1-2 mm. 

 shorter, 3rd and 6th 2-6 shorter, 2nd 6-20 shorter, 1st 20-40 

 shorter ; tips pointed, outer webs narrow and slightly serrated. 

 Innermost secondaries shorter than 10th primary, inner longest ones 

 between 6th and 8th, tips rounded. Tail much graduated, outermost 

 feather very short, central very long, 18 feathers, tips tapering and 

 pointed, central feathers laterally arched. Tarsus stout, with, in 

 male, a strong conical spur at back. Hind toe short, three front 

 ones rather long and slender, connected at base by small web ; 

 claws strong, slightly curved. Bill strong, upper mandible curved, 

 edges and tip thin-edged and overlapping lower mandible, which 

 is shallow and nearly straight. Nostrils oval, protected by an arched 

 operculum. Lores and large space round eye in male with a few 

 short feather -tufts and a line of short feathers under eye, but 

 otherwise bare skin covered with small papillae and extended under 

 eye as a wattle. 



