TITHY S REDSTART. 
79 
eyes are encircled with black, which also extends over the 
sides of the face, neck, throat and breast. The wing coverts 
are dusky black, bordered with ash ; the tertials are black, 
deeply bordered with white on the outer edge: the quill 
feathers are dusky, as are also the two middle feathers of the 
tail; the outer feathers of the tail are bright rust colour, 
slightly bordered towards the tip with brown. The middle 
of the belly is white, the vent and under tail-coverts pale 
rust; the beak is black, the corners of the mouth and inside 
yellow; the iris dark brown. Towards the end of summer 
the grey edges wear away, and the whole bird appears blacker : 
it is thus the Motacilla atrata of authors. In Italy, and other 
parts of the south of Europe, they are generally darker than 
in the north, as warm weather contributes to the wearing 
away of the edges. After the autumnal moult, the male 
more resembles the female, as the broad ash-coloured edges 
nearly conceal the black; the white on the wings, however, 
remains. 
The colour of the female is different; the upper feathering 
is dull and dirty ash, the under parts brown tinged with 
rust: the cheeks shaded with brown ; the under tail-coverts 
pale rusty yellow. The larger wing coverts and quill-feathers 
are edged with brownish grey; the tail paler than in the 
male ; the legs are rather brown than black. 
The young, in the nest, are distinguished from those of 
the preceding species by their darker plumage, being reddish 
ash on the upper parts, the same on the under parts, but 
paler ; the feathers are slightly spotted with a lighter colour, 
which gives them a mottled appearance. The male is, in this 
state, rather darker than the female. The moult takes place 
in August. 
The egg figured 60 is that of this species. 
