WHITE AND PIED WAGTAILS. 483 



Having, through Mr Audubon, obtained from Paris, a col- 

 lection of French birds, selected by his friend Dr Trudeau, 

 among which is a fine series of Motacilla alba and Budytes 

 flava, I embrace the opportunity thus offered of instituting a 

 comparison between them and specimens of our Pied and 

 Yellow Wacrtails. 



Motacilla alba and Motacilla Yarrelli. 



On comparing ten British specimens of Motacilla Yarrelli 

 with ten French specimens of Motacilla alba procured in the 

 neighbourhood of Paris, I find that of the French birds four 

 have the bill somewhat more slender than that of any of the 

 British, four have it equal in thickness to that of six of the 

 British, while in two it is equally broad at the base, and con- 

 siderably longer. The tarsus in the French birds is generally 

 more slender, and the claws are longer, but in all the specimens, 

 French and British, the tarsus is eleven twelfths of an inch in 

 length. Two of the French birds which have the smallest 

 bills, have the back black, and although nine of them have 

 been killed in April and May, and consequently have assumed 

 the black on the fore-neck and head entirely or nearly, five 

 have the back light grey, two deep black, two partly black and 

 partly grey. Some of these black-backed birds being thus as 

 darkly coloured as the finest old British males, that colour 

 affords no distinctive character. A French female in its 

 winter dress does not differ in any respect from a Scotch female 

 at the same season. The French birds which have the upper 

 parts grey, have them of a lighter and purer tint than those of 

 British specimens ; but the greys and yellows of French spe- 

 cimens of other species are equally brighter and purer than 

 those of British specimens. Among the French birds some 

 have the back pure grey, others grey with some new black 

 feathers coming in, and others black. The wings and tail of 

 the French birds are in all respects similar to those of the 

 British. After this comparison, I cannot but consider it ex- 

 tremely doubtful that the White Wagtail of the Continent 

 differs specifically from ours. The question can be finally 



