234 MOTACILLA YARRELLI. 



cheeks, and the fore part and sides of the neck, greyish-white ; a 

 dusky line on each side down the throat, forming a curved band 

 or crescent on the fore-neck ; the sides light grey ; the rest of 

 the lower parts greyish-white, the breast tinged with yellowish- 

 brown. The wing-coverts and quills are blackish-brown, edged 

 with greyish-white, of which there are two bands formed by 

 the tips of the first row of small coverts and secondary coverts. 

 The middle tail-feathers are blackish-brown, the rest darker, 

 but the two lateral on each side nearly all white. The fea- 

 thers on the legs are greyish-brown tipped with whitish ; the 

 lower wing-coverts similar. 



Progress toward Maturity.' — In the first brood, the moult 

 commences in the end of July, and is completed by the end of 

 September. The young birds are then similar to the old, but 

 with more grey on the back, and the dark crescent on the breast 

 less extended. 



Remarks. — I do not feel perfectly satisfied as to the diffe- 

 rence of Motacilla alba and JNI. Yarrelli, there being nothing 

 in their form, size, and plumage sufficient to indicate distinct 

 species, although the bill of the former seems to be generally 

 more slender, and I should not be surprised to find that they 

 are in reality one and the same. AVhether this be the case or 

 not, Motacilla alba of Linnaeus is as much the present species 

 as the preceding, since he refers to Willughby and Ray ; and 

 therefore I think the Pied Wagtail might with propriety be 

 named M. alba, and the Grey-^nd- white Wagtail INI. cinerea. 

 I have ascertained that the spring moult is complete, with the 

 exception of the quills and tail-feathers, and not confined to the 

 throat, as has been alleged. Thus in a specimen killed by Mr 

 Weir on the 25th of February, there are young feathers on the 

 throat, head, hind-neck, sides, back, and breast ; and the glossy 

 entire feathers of the upper parts in April and May are seen 

 to be fresh, and not merely changed in colour by abrasion of 

 their filaments. 



