arc black, with a pretty large white spot near the tips; the next four
tipped with black. The following is Mr. Yarrell's description of
them: 'primaries, black on the outer web, with a small portion of
pearl grey at the base of the inner web, the proportion of grey increasing
on each primary in succession; the first and second primaries
with a patch of white on both webs near the end, but the extreme
tips of both are black; the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, have white
tips.' Secondaries and tertiarics, grey, largely tipped with white;
greater and lesser under wing coverts, white. Tail, white; upper tail
coverts, white. Legs and toes, dull greenish grey, with a tinge of
dull yellowish red.
The female is rather less in size; length, about one foot four and
a half to one foot five inches.
I n the young bird for the first year the bill is blackish brown
at the tip, the base dull yellowish red brown; iris, dusky brown, in
front of the eyes is a patch of deep brown; the eyelids yellowish
brown. Head on the sides, crown, and back, streaked with dusky
greyish brown spots, the white through giving the bird a sort of
'bien poudre' appearance; in the second year the head and neck become
white in spring and summer, but in the autumn and winter
are streaked and spotted with greyish brown. Chin and throat,
white; breast, greyish white marked or mottled with pale brown,
chiefly in the form of a band across the upper part of the breast,
and continued over the sides and flanks the first year, more white
the second. Back on the upper part, in the first year, brownish
grey, each feather being edged with greyish white; on the lower,
white; bluish grey feathers gradually become interspersed.
The wings, when closed, reach two inches and a half beyond the
cud of the tad; greater wing coverts, bluish grey, with a brownish
grey bar, and ended with dull white; lesser wing coverts, bluish
grey, s o n i c of the feathers with dusky centres and yellowish brown
and white edges. Primaries, blackish grey on both the shafts and
the greater part of the webs, with white at the tips till the second
year, all but the first being tipped with brown; secondaries and
tertiarics, brownish grey, the feathers edged with paler yellowish
brown and white. The tail white, with a broad dusky black bar on
the outer half to the end, the bar continued through the second
year, the extreme tip greyish white, namely, all but the outside
feather on each side, which has the outer web white with the least
portion black; upper tail coverts, dull white; under tail coverts,
white. Legs and toes, dull greyish white, with a tinge of dull
yellowish red, the joints pale blue; claws, black.