MOTACILLIN^. 223 



a yellowish tinge, and a few brown marks on the breast ; a white 

 supeiciliuin always present. 



Bill bl .ck ; legs i.lack ; irides dusky brown. Length about 6^ 

 inches; extent 9^; wingo^; tail-jf; bill at front /^j tarsus nearly |. 



Some naturalists consider that the Black-headt-d Wagtails of 

 India i.re a distinct species from the common one, and Hursfield 

 yet retains Sykcs' me/unurei'/ui/a, as Mr. Blyth and myself formerly 

 did. j\Iost late writers on the ornithological Fauna of South-eastern 

 Europe maintain ?ng^/«f;cr/>//^//a as di-iinctfrom the other European 

 species, not, however, stating its identity with the Indi.m bird, 

 but recordinu it to be much more rare than the grey-headed species. 

 The distinctiims between the various closely allied races are not 

 very exactly laid down. The species usually recognised are, 

 J>. Riyi of Western Europe only ; />. flavtt, L. {ne</lerta, Goidd) 

 of Europe generally ; />. cinereo-cajiillu, Savi, from Souih-eastfrn 

 Europe ; and the socalhd B. iDelniioccplKiln, of Lichtenstein and 

 Riippell, from .Africa and S. Europe. Bonaparte has also B. 

 nicfiicti/Alla {})iel(tiic(:f'/-/i(il(i, ^ ,\\), i'rojn various parts of luiiope; 

 and M. /■elJnu/i is recorded, said to be intermediate between 

 ciuereo-copilld, and rnr/aiinceji/tala, probably riiulis in a state of 

 change. Of these, />. /''///«, at the bi ceding season, has the head 

 lores, ear-coverts, pale olive, with a yellow superciliuin, chin a so 

 yellow. B.JldVd ha.s in the bi ceiling phiiuage, the head, lores, and 

 ear-coverts alway> grey, with a white supen-ilium, and a white 

 chin, the throat being yellow, bordered by a white line ex- 

 tending from the gape to beh'W the ear-coverts ; B. cinereo-capilla 

 appears by the description n)erely to differ fromj^(/i?« by havino- 

 no superciliary maik, and the chin and throat being always udiite ; 

 wliilst /). ineltnocephala is stated to hstve the head black without 

 any supercilium, and ihe tliroat yellow. B. nigricapillii is not desci ib- 

 ed by Bona])arte. but is stateil to occur in Italy, Dalmatia, Scan- 

 dinavia, and Lapland. Temminck states that B. fiava, of Europe, 

 is also fouiid in Japan, in India, and the Moluccas, not, however, 

 distinguishing it specifically from cineveo-cajiilla and melanocephala, 

 which he gives as rac- s of fl'iva. 



From the description of melanocphahi of Southern Europe, there 

 is very little doubt that it is our Indian bird, which thus appears also 



