of Western Greece. 393 



Mingling with the grand army of Sterna anglica are a few 

 individuals of Sterna hii'undo, which breeds sporadically over the 

 entire lagoon : the chief colonies of Sterna minuta are in another 

 direction. These three Terns are all that breed here, as far as 

 I can tell. A few individuals of Sterna leucoptera and some 

 flocks of Sterna nigra were observed so late as the middle of 

 May, but they all seemed bound for the north. 



Before taking leave of the lagoon in its summer aspect, there 

 is one more bird well worthy of our attention, though it may 

 seem somewhat out of place at the end of the list. Let the egg- 

 seeker laud on any islet, mud-bank, or sandy spit not destitute 

 of vegetation, and who so ready to herald his approach, watch his 

 proceedings, and chirp defiance at him from the top of a hillock, 

 as the vivacious, brilliant Motacilla melanocephala ? His mate 

 has long ago quitted her nest, and presently makes her appear- 

 ance in quite another direction, with that demure look which hen 

 birds are apt to assume when they wish to look as if they didn^t 

 come from anywhere in particular. This bird is one of the espe- 

 cial features of Mesolonghi, where it is exceedingly numerous, 

 and the only Wagtail seen during the summer-time. Besides 

 the great contrast between the black head and the grey one, and 

 the superior brilliancy of the yellow of this bird, together with 

 the minor distinctions which may be observed on comparing 

 skins of it with those of M. flava, there does not appear to be 

 any difference in their respective habits, though much in their 

 distribution. M. flava is an early spring migrant here, even 

 wintering, according to Von der Miihle, in the extreme south of 

 the Morea : the flight is generally over before M. melanocephala 

 makes its appearance, which latter comes about the same time as 

 Merops apiaster. The same authority also says that '' one never 

 meets with M. flava and M. melanocephala together;" that " in 

 many districts, such as Livadia, Volo, and Lamia, only M. flava 

 is met with, whilst in the Morea it is only M. melanocephala.^^ 

 This, I presume, is meant to be during the breeding-season. If 

 his observations are correct as to the east coast of Continental 

 Greece, it would appear that M. melanocephala does not go very 

 far north on the side of the ^gsean, whilst on the west side of 

 the Hellenic peninsula Mr. Powys (Ibis, vol. ii. p. 229) noticed 



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