222 MOTACILLA ALBA. 



distinguished from each other by Mr Gould, to whose ahnost 

 unriA^alled exertions the science is so much indebted. In form 

 and proportions, the two species are ahiiost exactly alike, the 

 only difference being that the present Wagtail is rather smaller. 

 Its bill is rather short, slender, straight, tapering, compressed 

 towards the end, and rather sharp-pointed ; the gape-line 

 nearly straight ; the upper outline declinate, and straight, 

 until near the end, when it becomes slightly curved downwards ; 

 the lower outline ascending, and nearly straight, the edges in- 

 flected. The nostrils are elliptical, one twelfth of an inch 

 long. The feet are of moderate length ; the tarsus slender, 

 much compressed, its upper scutella blended ; the first toe with 

 eight, the second with nine, the third thirteen, the fourth 

 twelve scutella. The claws are of moderate length, rather 

 slender, extremely compressed, laterally grooved, moderately 

 arched, tapering to a fine point, but in old birds often blunted. 



The plumage is soft and blended. The wings are rather 

 long, the primary quills nine, the first scarcely longer than the 

 third, and only half a twelfth shorter than the second ; the 

 first five rounded, the rest emarginate ; the secondaries nine, 

 the first five emarginate, the sixth elongated and tapering, so as 

 to extend as far as the outer primaries when the wing is closed, 

 the rest graduated and tapering to a rounded point. The tail 

 is very long, rounded at the end, the feathers nearly straight, 

 and narrow. 



The bill and feet are deep black. The upper part of the 

 head and a portion of the nape are black, as are the upper tail- 

 coverts and some of the feathers in their vicinity ; the back 

 light ash-grey ; a broad band on the forehead, the sides of the 

 head, and all the lower parts white, excepting the sides, which 

 are grey, and a crescent of black on the fore-neck. The wings 

 are brownish-black, the first row of smaller coverts largely 

 tipped with white ; the secondary coverts broadly margined 

 and tipped with the same ; all the quills more or less edged 

 with white, the inner secondaries more broadly. The tail is 

 black, excepting the two outer feathers on each side, which 

 are white, with a black stripe along the inner margin, and a 

 small portion at the base also black. 



