52 
ai.len’s naturalist’s i.ibrary. 
Adult Male. — General colour above delicate pearly-grey, the 
wing-coverts like tlie back ; the greater series slightly edged 
with white at the ends ; primary-coverts grey with white shafts 
and broad white tips j primaries white with a sub-terminal band 
of black of irregular shape, the first primary black along the 
outer web ; inner primaries and outer secondaries grey with 
white ends and outer webs ; remainder of secondaries pure 
white, except the innermost, which are grey, broadly tipped 
with white ; lower rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail pure white ; 
head all round black, with a spot of white above and below the 
eye; hind neck, sides of neck, and entire under surface of body 
pure white, including the under wing-coverts and axillarics ; 
“bill orange, with a black band at the angle; tarsi and toes 
greenish-yellow, the webs orange” i^H. Saunders). Total 
length, 29 inches; culmen, 27; wing, ip'S; tail, 7 ’65; 
tarsus, 3-35. 
Adult Female. — Similar to the male, but smaller ; “ iris deep 
brown ; edge of eyelids bright red, with a conspicuous white 
patch on each lid ; bill wax-yellow, the gape and terminal third 
dull crimson, with a transverse sub-terminal black band ; feet 
dull Indian yellow, the claws black” {A. O. Hume). Total 
length, 23 inches; wing, i8'2. 
Adult in Winter Plumag'e. — Lacks the black head of the 
summer dress, the head being white, mottled more or less 
with blackish streaks and bases to the feathers. Mr. Saunders 
says that the black head is often assumed by the middle of 
February, and the moult of the primaries is then completed. 
Young'. — Brown above, mottled with grey or darker brown, 
and with greyish-white edges to the feathers ; greater wing- 
coverts ashy-grey with dark brown centres, and white tips and 
edges to the inner w'ebs; bastard-wing, primary-coverts and 
quills black, asby-whitish along the inner web ; secondaries 
blackish, w’ith white shafts and with white along the edge of the 
inner webs, and greyish or white along the outer web ; lower 
rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail white, with a broad black 
band at the end occupying more than the terminal third of the 
feather ; the rump and upper tail-coverts spotted with brown ; 
