2 5° ALLEN’S NATURALIST’S LIBRARY. 
ear-coverte'dark sl ?& htl yw i th dark olive ; the tail black; 
ear coveits daik brown, with pale shaft-lines ; throat and chest 
bkck^cemre^w? 11 - Wack ’ the , feathers havin g longitudinal 
,he e,,ds ’ bre « « o' 
Wah age, the female bird becomes much greyer especially 
underneath when the breast and abdomen® are ^ hoary S? 
he thioat whitish, regularly streaked with rows of brown spots 7 ’ 
Jehow Pale rUf0US ‘ The bU1 in oId birds inSs to 
the YO fe n T^J U of US i OWn ’ m0ttled Wi . th P ale rufous centres to 
he feathers of the upper parts, imparting a streaked an 
pearance, less distinct on the head; the median and "renter 
coverts like the back, and similarly streaked ; greater-coverts 
chocolate-brown ; bastard-wing, primary-covert? and quiSs 
ack^h-biown , loies rufous-brown; ear-coverts dark brown 
C cheeks end ISeGLtaS 
Kds of ‘fteSl lh ' itT >P °“ ed Wi,h W“clcist-hraw„ at 
? 1 P . of ^ th . e P eat hers, the breast and sides of the body barred 
mfoi,s ba fh' IS h' b h 0Wn; breaSt and abdomen uniform pale 
rufous , thighs brown ; under tail-coverts black, with rufous 
At first both male and female are alike, but the darker 
colour of the former is shown after the autumn moult when 
however, there are still some rufous mottlings on the’ throa? 
and chest. 1 he bill also is black, and even when the birds 
gam their entire black plumage, the young of the previous 
year can always be recognised by the browner wings. 
Range in Great Britain.— Generally distributed and breeding 
everywhere throughout the three kingdoms, but only known as 
an autumn and winter visitor to some of the Outer Hebrides 
and the Shetland Isles. It is said to be gradually extending its 
range northward in Scotland. 8 
Range outside the British islands— Almost universally met with 
thiou hout luirope, and inhabiting the whole of the 7 countries 
on both sides of the Mediterranean from Palestine on the cast 
to the Azores, the Canaries, and Madeira on the west The 
northern range of the Blackbird in Scandinavia extends up to 
