22 
allen’s naturalist’s library. 
tips to tlio quills and the upper tail-coverts ; ciown of head 
pale grey; on the sides of the neck a broad collar of buff; 
under surface of body wliite, with a tinge of buff on the throat 
and fore-neck ; under wing-coverts buff; bill blackish, with the 
base of the lower mandible pale yellow ; feet leaden-grey ; iris 
dark brown. Total length, i6 inches; culmen, i'2 ; wing, 8’5 ; 
tail, 8'8 ; tansus, i'3. 
Adult Female. — Similar to the male, but with a good deal of 
chestnut on the quills, which appears to vanish with age, so 
that there is at last no difference between the sexes, beyond 
that the female is a little smaller. Total length, 15 inches; 
wing, 77. 
Young. — Resembles the adult, but always has the greater part 
of the quills chestnut ; the throat is darker and more rufous, 
and the fore-part of the head is black. 
Range in Great Britain. — Has occurred twice in the British 
Isles, once in Ireland in 1842, when a specimen was caught 
alive in March of that year. It was found in an emaciated 
condition on the Island of Omey, off the coast of Connemara. 
Mr. Howard Saunders says that the specimen, which is now 
in the Museum of Trinity College, Dublin, is in immature 
jilumage, which fact accounts for the caution of his statement, 
that it was captured prohably in March 1842. A second 
cNUinple is in the Newcastle Museum, and was shot neat 
Bellingham in Northumberland on the 5th of August, 1870. 
Range outside the British Islands. — Principally a Mediterranean 
s[)ecies, arriving in Southern Spain early in March and leaving 
in the first days of August. It has occurred accidentally in 
Northern Cemiany, Southern France, and Northern Italyi 
and to most of the Mediterranean countries, as far east a 5 
Asia Minor, it is a regular visitor. Its farthest eastern range 
appears to be Northern Persia. It is a resident bird and nests 
i 1 Fgyi)t and North-western Africa, but the only known breed- 
ing place within strictly Eurojiean limits, is the southern hah 
of Spain, where Mr. Howard Saunders has found it nesting aS 
far north as Madrid. It is also a visitor to the Canary Islands- 
In winter it migrates to Senegambia and the Gold Coast, and 
also visits Southern Africa. 
Habits. — Like the other members of this Family, the Great 
