16 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. 



BLUE-HEADED WAGTAILS IN CARNARVONSHIRE. 



In my opinion the occurrences of the Blue -headed Wagtail 

 {Motacilla /lava /lava) in Merionethshire in 1897 and 1898, of 

 a female biid, identified by Mr. T. A. Coward, in Carnarvon- 

 shire in 1910, and also of a male and female or immature birds 

 which I observed this year (1912) in the latter county, lends 

 much colour to the assumption (and nobody can j'^et con- 

 tradict it) that birds of this species migrate up the western 

 seaboard probably every year, but pass unnoticed in the small 

 parties of Yellow Wagtails {Motacilla /lava rail) with which 

 they generally travel. This year I have paid closer attention 

 than ever to the passage of these two species through the 

 Creuddyn peninsula, with the result that on May 11th I 

 watched through my Zeiss binoculars an adult male, which 

 was accompanied by a male and female M. f. raii, on the 

 isthmus to the south-east of the Great Orme's Head. Its 

 bluish-grey head and cheeks and the pure white eye-stripe 

 and chin, struck me the moment I cast eyes on it ; and my 

 prolonged observation of the bird and its plumage, as well as 

 the happy opportunity afforded me of comparing it with 

 its travelling companions, gave me every satisfaction. Ten 

 days previously, however, I saw my first example of this 

 species (presumably an adult female) in the company of a male 

 and female 31. f. raii, and I immediately noticed that Avhilst 

 the female Yellow Wagtail differed in many respects from my 

 new acquaintance, I considered the whitish colour of the 

 stranger's eye-stripe, chin and upper-breast trustworthy evi- 

 dence to prove that the bird was 31. f. /lava. However, not 

 having previously seen the bird I decided to report nothing 

 of its occurrence till I should see another, little supposing 

 that I should do so only nine days later, namely the 9th May. 

 I had a more favourable opportunity for watching this 

 second individual and of making a detailed observation of 

 its plumage, and again failed to trace the slightest tinge of 

 yellow or buff on either chin, eye-stripe, or patch behind the 

 ear-coverts, their whiteness again convincing me that the 

 bird was clearly not referable to M. f. raii. On this example's 

 l)reast, between the white and yelloM^ portions, I could dis- 

 tinguish three or four small, pale broMH feathers, and 

 wondered whether these Avere marks of adolescence. 



On May 16th, in the same j^ear, a male 31. f. raii and two 

 of the birds which I have contended were 31. f. /lava, were 

 feeding together in a field bordeiing on Llandudno Bay, and 

 I watched them with the aid of my glasses for fully half an 

 hour. I took my position behind a wide wooden post which 



