SPABUOW. 
91 
and winter; breast, on the upper part meeting tbe throat, 
black as it also is, below, dull greyish or brownish white. 
Back, fine dark rufous brown on its upper part, the centre 
of each feather nearly black; on its lower part it is chesnut 
brownish grey, with a tinge of yellowish. 
The wings, which expand to the width of nearly nine 
inches and a half, have the first three quill feathers nearly 
equal in length, but the third slightly longer than the first, 
and the second rather the longest of the three, the fourth a 
little shorter than the third, the fifth more than an eighth 
of an inch shorter than the fourth. Greater wing coverts, 
brownish black, broadly edged with pale rufous brown, and 
slightly tipped with dull white; of the lesser wing coverts, 
the first ones are brownish black tipped with white more or 
less extensively, and forming an oblique bar across each wing, 
sometimes half their length is of this colour; the rest are 
brownish red and partly black; primaries, blackish brown, 
with narrow outer edges of brownish yellow, and the inner 
more broadly margined with brownish red; tertiafies,’ broadly 
edged with rufous brown. Tail, dark brownish, the outer 
webs of the feathers blackish edged with lighter brown; it is 
rather short, and even at the end; it extends about an inch 
and a half beyond the closed wings; upper tail coverts, pale 
brownish grey with a tinge of dull green; under tail coverts, 
dusky grey in the centre. Legs and toes, bluish brown; 
claws, darker brown, thick and short. 
In the female the plumage also becomes more dull in the 
autumn and winter. Length, from five inches and a half to 
six inches; bill, brown, but paler than in the male; iris, dark 
brown; over it is a streak of dull yellowish, and a dusky line 
passes through and behind it. Head on the crown, neck 
on the back, and nape, light dull greenish brown; chin, 
throat, and breast, pale dull yellowish brown, darker on 
the sides, the centres of the feathers darker than the rest. 
Back, dull brown, the edges of the feathers dull buff-colour. 
The wings have the transverse band formed by the tips of 
the first row of the lesser wing coverts pale yellowish, or 
dull white; they expand to the width of nine inches and a 
third. Tail, brownish black, the edges of the feathers light 
yellowish brown; under tail coverts, dull brownish white. 
Legs, toes, and claws, lighter brown than in the male. 
The young, when fledged, resemble the female, but are 
much lighter coloured; at the first moult after the autumn, 
