880 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



or black-brown central, wedge-shaped stripe of varying width 

 curving back on each side in a narrow line to ear-coverts (as in 

 flukes of an anchor), at base of throat another narrow band (usually 

 broken in centre of throat) curving back to ear-coverts, feathers of 

 central stripe tipped pale buff, curved lines on sides of throat often 

 ill-defined and sometimes absent, sides of throat often more or less 

 chestnut, sometimes whole chin and throat chestnut and some- 

 times mostly buff ; breast orange-buff to chestnut-buff, feathers 

 tipped and with narrow shaft-streaks of pale buff ; sides of 

 breast and flanks with broad and tapering whitish-buff stripes 

 narrowly margined black and sides of feathers dark chestnut 

 to chestnut-buff more or less marked or barred black ; rest 

 of under -parts including under tail-coverts pale buff, centre 

 of belly, axillaries and under wing-coverts whitish-buff ; tail- 

 feathers brown to blackish narrowly edged and barred pale buff ; 

 primaries brown, outer web of 1st edged pale buff, rest very 

 narrowly edged pale buff at tips and rest of outer webs barred buff ; 

 secondaries same with buff bars extending across inner webs at 

 tips ; primary-coverts brown narrowly edged and tipped pale buff ; 

 greater and median coverts olive-brown with narrow shaft-streaks 

 and wavy bars of buff usually outlined blackish, innermost and 

 innermost secondaries with black subterminal patches ; lesser 

 coverts uniform olive-brown with narrow edging of buff round bend 

 of wing. This plumage is acquired by complete moult Aug., some- 

 times completed Sept., but others moult much later and specimens in 

 full moult from Oct. to Jan. are frequent. Summer. — A partial body 

 moult takes place Feb. to April and occasionally May. Plumage 

 as winter.* 



Adult female. — Upper -parts like male ; chin and throat 

 huffish-white with no central black stripe, but curving bands on 

 sides of throat usually indicated and generally broken into series of 

 spots ; brown moustachial streak usually present ; sides of neck 

 and breast buff to rufous-buff spotted brown-black and with 

 narrow whitish shaft-streaks ; flanks as male but not so chestnut ; 

 rest of plumage as male. 



Nestling. — Closely covered with soft down, shorter on head ; 

 tarsi and toes bare. Crown orange-buff with a black spot on fore- 

 head and two parallel black lines down centre of crown and nape, 

 joining into one at base of neck and continuing down centre of rest 

 of upper -parts ; sides of back of neck buffish -yellow, down tipped 

 dusky ; rest of upper-parts orange-buff with a black line on each 

 side parallel to central line and black blotches on wings ; sides of 

 head buffish -yellow with a very few narrow black lines or spots (some- 

 times one small spot only) ; under -parts huffish-yellow, down at 

 sides of neck and base of throat lightly tipped dusky and bases of 

 down sooty. Down is replaced by feathers. 



* A very dark variety occurs with some frequency here and there in south 

 Europe (e.g. Valencia, Spain). — H.F.W. 



