Page:The British Warblers A History with Problems of Their Lives - 2 of 9.djvu/17

 pale on the throat, but rich on the flanks, with well-defined longitudinal stripes of sulphur yellow. The belly is pure white. The under tail-coverts are rich yellowish buff at the roots, but lighter and more yellow towards the tips. The under surface of the tail is lavender grey with white shafts to the feathers, and the under parts of the wings the same colour, but with light ashy grey margins to each feather. The under wing-coverts and the axillaries are rich sulphur yellow. The iris is dark brown and the lores grey, darkest near the eye. The bill is horn brown with the edges of both mandibles and the base of the lower brownish flesh. The gape and corner of the mouth are light orange buff. The tibia is olive yellow; legs, tarsus, and toes brownish grey, and soles olive green.

Fledglings.—The upper parts are dull grey, slightly brighter and more olive on the rump and upper tail-coverts. The wings and tail are brownish grey, the feathers being edged with olive yellow, and the edges on the least wing-coverts almost hide the brownish grey ground colour. The lores are smoky grey, and the superciliary stripe light olive yellow. The small feathers round the eye are whitish yellow. The sides of the head are dusky olive with light centres to each feather. The throat is whitish washed faintly with olive yellow, chest dull olive grey, and the flanks and abdomen white. The under tail-coverts are yellowish buff, and the under parts of the tail and wings greyish with whitish shafts; the under wing-coverts are sulphur yellow. The largest feather of the bastard wing is dark brownish grey. The iris is dark hazel. The bill is horn colour, the posterior edge of the upper and the base of the lower mandible being yellowish buff. The gape is light orange buff; tibia is yellowish white, tarsus and toes olive grey, and the soles olive yellow.

Nestling.—The plumage is much the same as the fledgling, but all the under parts are considerably lighter and more distinctly washed with yellow. The abdomen is more inclined to be whitish, and the superciliary stripe light yellowish buff.