174 



THE NATURALIST. 



this is of course only in adult specimens; the number and size are bestowed 

 on birds according to age or sex ; the young birds have none during the first 

 year according to Mr. Yarrell's observations in his work on British Birds ; 

 most authors state that the female has never more than five in each wing, I 

 have, however, show^n in my list several instances to the contrary, — for 

 example the female with eight in each, shot at Worstead. Specimens occa- 

 sionally have odd numbers of tips, owing either to their being knocked or 

 rubbed, sometimes shot off. Primary coverts, black tipped with white. 

 From the base of bill and extending over the whole surface of the throat, is 

 black. At the angle of the mouth the feathers are chesnut, assuming a 

 pale reddish brown on the cheeks, neck, breast, and under parts, inclining to 

 a greyish brown tinge on its flanks and abdomen ; base of tail feathers and 

 upper tail covert, smoky grey ; the former black at the ends and tipped with 

 yellow ; under surface of wings, ashy grey ; under tail coverts, chestnut 

 brown. The plumage of both sexes are precisely similar, that of the male is 

 somewhat brighter in colour than the female, the yellow tips of the primaries 

 and tail of the latter are duller, and less in width ^than the males, the wax- 

 tips are also smaller and generally less in number. The most prominent 

 point of distinction in the sexes, according to my observations is the black 

 patcl.i of the throat, which is of a deep and glossy hue in the male, and in 

 the female dull and tinged with greyish brown, and not extending so far 

 down the throat as in the male. In the tail of the Weston bird IsTo. 13, two 

 of the tips of the feathers ended in a small wax appendage resembling those 

 of its wings, and all that portion of the quill passing through the yellow 

 border of all the feathers is of a reddish tinge. This is all doubtless a 

 certain proof of old age and strong healthy birds. Legs, toes, and claws, 

 black. 



In order to render my notes as complete and interesting as possible, I 

 will now give a list of the occurrence of the other specimens, and all the in- 

 formation I am able to gather respecting them, from various sources, some 

 few of which I have seen but not particularly examined. 



No. Date, 1866. 



Sex, 



Locality. 



No. of 

 Wax-tips 

 on wings. 



Remarks. 



1 l^OY. 17, 



Old Buckenham 



Seen by the Eev. T. 



Fulcher. 



2 



Thetford, Shot 



Particulars not ascer- 

 tained. 



3 to 7 



Kepps, near Yarmouth 



Pive seen, three out of 

 which were shot. 



