tail-coverts white ; legs and toes pale bluish-lead colour, the'
webs almost black. The whole length, without including
the elongated tail-feathers* seventeen inches.: to the end of
the long tail-feathers twenty-two to twenty-four inches; from,
the carpal joint of the wing to end of the longest primary1
nine inches; -the first and second quill-feathers nearly equal
and the longest in the wing.-
..The winter plumage is ..generally ^perfected by the middle;
of October : the ' summer plumage is assumed by^ie^end. of
May, and at that time-only the space around the-ey'e |%pale',
buff; mixed with a little,white; a ll-$ g .‘other parts q£$tH
head, neck, back, wings, and breast .black ; th e . scapulars and
tertials :blaek^ each featheiii with ..a-broad- e d g e ^ rufous-brown i
belly, and under surface of the body white,,,as in winter; bill,;
hides, and legs-the same^ „
A male kilfed-while intermediate,-or in change;with refer-:
ence to the two states of plumage described, had the forehead
black; top of the head and the occiput white; cheeks brownish
buff ; all' the neck mottled with black and white.-; ^capillars
and tertials white'at the base*- black 'in the^cejitre,:and
reddish-brown on the margin ^'.secondaries' dist®qguish.edTfronl
the coverts and the primaries by their lighter reddish-brown
colour.
Females have the forehead, crown, and back of the neck,
dark brown ; the' lore, Or space between the. base , of the bill
and the'.eye; the ear-coverts, and sides of the neck greyish?
white; below the. ear-coverts, on both sides, a patch of
brown; all the back and wings dark brown; primaries‘and
tail-feathers almost black; neck, in front, light brown,'cloiided
with darker brown;’ breast, belly, and under tail-coVerts
white ; thighs and flanks, pale ash-brawn.
Females measure-about sixteen inches iir length, and do
not assume the white scapulars or the elongated tail-feathers.,
Young birds for the first-twelve months resemble the
females. Young males in their first winter may be distinguished
from young females by being a little larger in size,
and in having the brown and the white parts about the head
and neck rather more pure in colour, and their limits better
defined.
I am indebted to Richard Dann, Esq., for the use of a
beautiful series of examples of this species, from which the
various descriptions here given were derived. They were the
speciriiens referred to as shot at various periods* throughout
the year in different parts of Scandinavia, -
The trachea' of w m aleis about 'seven inches in length,
and v e r y singular in its structure. At the bottom of the
tub'e fodr window-like apertures^ as well as the kidney-shaped
tympanum, are closed by a delicate membrane. The vignette
exhibits this curious structure in two points of view.
Th|^windpipe of the female is of the common, or ordinary
form, yet both sexes are said to have the same notes.