72 



AUIFAUNA Or LAYS AN, ETC. 



broadly tipped with white. Primary-coverts black. Quills blackish brown, narrowly 

 edged on the outer webs with olive-brown, distinctly edged with white on the inner 

 webs, the first ones only at the basal parts. Rectrices black; outermost pair with half 

 of the outer web to the tip white, and with the tip of the inner web for one-fourth to at 

 least one-third white. The following feathers with a large portion of the inner web and 

 a much smaller portion of the outer web white, these spots decreasing in size until the 

 central pair is reached, where only quite narrow white tips are visible. Feathers of the 

 underparts black at their bases, white at the tips ; the chin remains quite black, then the 

 white tips appear, so that the throat is varied white and black, then the white tips 

 become so broad that the entire lower throat, breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts 

 are pure Avhitc. Sides of breast and body more or less washed with tawny olive. Under 

 wing-coverts spotted brown and white, the bases being deep brown, the tips broadly 

 white. .Feathers of the thighs black with white tips. Iris dark brown ; upper mandible 

 slaty black, under mandible slaty blue ; legs and feet slaty blue. 



Intermediate plumage. (The birds in this plumage are adult, inasmuch as they are generally 

 known to breed already in this stage, but it is not the final plumage described above.) 

 Above dark olive-brown with a rufous shade, thus looking a faint bit brighter than the 

 birds described above, which maybe slightly faded, from not being so fresh moulted; 

 lores, forehead, and a more or less distinct line above and behind the eyes tawny ochraceous, 

 sometimes intermixed with whitish or white ; rump and upper tail-coverts white, the 

 bases of the feathers black. Quills dark brown, narrowly margined with pale tawny on 

 the outer webs, with creamy buff on the inner webs, more so towards the bases ; second- 

 aries tipped with white. All upper wing-coverts, except the primary-coverts, broadly 

 tipped with white. Rectrices broadly tipped with white, in the same manner as described 

 above in the final plumage, but the white colour docs not extend so far. Chin and 

 throat spotted black and white, in younger specimens appearing almost quite white ; 

 in most specimens the chin almost black ; this variation is caused by the feathers being 

 black at base and more or less broadly tipped with white. Underparts below the throat 

 dark tawny ochraceous, with a broad more or less irregularly -defined white patch from 

 the upper breast to the under tail-coverts, which are also white. Feathers of the thighs 

 black, tipped with white. Under wing-coverts deep brown and white. Iris dark brown; 

 upper mandible slaty black, under mandible slaty blue ; feet slaty blue. 



Young. Above tawny ochraceous brown, and pale tawny on rump, browner on the head 

 and upper tail-coverts. Quills dark brown, with pale borders on outer webs and bordered 

 with buff on inner webs. Wing-coverts deep brown, broadly tipped with bright ochraceous 

 buff. Tail-feathers deep brown, with pale borders to the outer webs ; outermost pair 

 with a small white spot on the outer web and a large white spot on inner web, the next 

 pairs with white on inner webs only ; all these white spots much less extended than in 

 adult birds and decreasing in size to the middle, so that the central pair has no white 

 at all. Underparts of a tawny buff, passing into the white on the middle of the 

 abdomen ; some specimens arc much whiter than others. Under wing-coverts buff. 



