MOTHSTTAItf TTOCF. 
67 
retains until the next autumnal moult. Chin, throat, and 
breast on its upper part, rich orange fawn-colour; the latter 
is white, or yellowish white on its lower part, and on the 
sides it is varied with blackish spots and light brown. Back 
on the upper part, as the head and nape, but the grey 
edges of the feathers exchanged for rust-colour; on the lower 
part white. 
The wings extend to the width of about ten inches and 
a half; greater wing coverts, jet black, tipped with orange 
fawn-colour; lesser wing coverts, rich orange fawn-colour, the 
feathers tipped with white; primaries, black, some of them 
with narrow light-coloured outside edges, forming an oblique 
bar when the wing is closed, and with a white spot at the 
base; the first three wing feathers are nearly equal in length 
and the longest in the wing, the third being rather longer 
than the others, and the fourth feather is about an eighth 
shorter than the third; secondaries, edged with orange fawn- 
colour or reddish orange; tertiaries, black, broadly edged 
with orange fawn-colour, or reddish orange. The larger 
under wing coverts have a small tuft of elongated feathers, 
and the lesser under wing coverts are bright yellow. Tail, 
black, the feathers edged with buff white, the outer feather 
on each side with a patch of dull white on the inner web; 
the middle pair of feathers are shorter by about, but not 
quite, half an inch than the rest, making the tail forked; 
upper tail coverts black, the feathers having grey borders; 
under tail coverts, white, or yellowish white; legs, toes, and 
claws, rather light brown. 
The female is said by some to be considerably, and by 
others only slightly, less in size than the male. Length, 
about six inches; in the winter plumage there is over the 
eye a streak of brownish black; it has less of the black 
colour on the crown of the head, which is therefore more 
brown coloured, the centres of the feathers being brownish 
black; and on the sides it is dull brownish grey, with two 
dark lines dividing the sides of the neck from the nape. 
Neck on the back and sides, and nape, dull brownish grey, 
with two longitudinal black bands behind; throat and breast, 
dull reddish buff orange, the sides paler and unspotted; 
back, on the upper part, blackish brown, and on the lower 
part patched with greyish white, the feathers margined with 
yellowish brown or grey, giving it an elegant mottled 
appearance. 
