PIED WAGTAIL. 227 



long, the primary quills nine, the second longest, the first longer 

 than the third, but all nearly equal, the first four rounded, the 

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

 the sixth elongated and tapering, so as to extend nearly as far 

 as the outer primaries when the wing is closed, the rest gradu- 

 ated and tapering to a rounded point. The tail is very long, 

 rounded, of twelve nearly straight, narrow, rounded feathers. 

 There are short bristle-feathers at the base of the upper man- 

 dible. 



The bill and feet are deep black, as is the inside of the 

 mouth ; the irides dusky. The forehead, a narrow space over 

 the eye, the cheeks, the throat, and the upper part of the fore- 

 neck are white. A broad, transverse, semicircular band of 

 black on the lower part of the neck and fore part of the breast, 

 having the convexity downwards, and extending narrower up- 

 wards to near the base of the jaw. The rest of the lower parts 

 white, the sides tinged with dark grey. The upper part of the 

 head and the hind-neck deep black ; the middle of the back 

 and smaller wing-coverts greyish-black, that colour passing 

 into deep black on the rump and upper tail-coverts. The quills 

 and primary coverts are greyish-black, margined with greyish- 

 white, the inner secondaries more broadly edged with white, 

 the secondary coverts edged and broadly tipped with white, as 

 is the next row, there being thus two transverse bars of white 

 on the wing. The tail is black, the middle feathers narrowly 

 edged with white, the greater part of the two lateral feathers 

 and a narrow margin to the third white. Usually the outer 

 feather is white, with a narrow black band along the inner 

 edge, excepting towards the end ; the next also white, with 

 the inner black band more extended ; the base of both 

 black. The feathers of the tibia are black at the base, with 

 white tips, as are the lower wing-coverts, the axillaries white. 



Length to end of tail 7f inches ; extent of wings 1 H ; bill 

 along the ridge /g, along the edge of lower mandible y"^ ; wing 

 from flexure 3ij ; tail 3|§ ; tarsus {^ ; first toe j'^, its claw f| ; 

 second toe y*|, its claw f| ; third toe j%, its claw j% ; fourth 

 toe ^1, its claw j%. 



