376 MOTACILLID.E. 



Continental authors ; but tliat our very common Yellow 

 Wagtail was in fact as rare a bird, and as little known on 

 the Continent, as the M. fava of the Continent was rare 

 here. Those who contend that the trivial name given by 

 the first describer of a species ought ever to remain un- 

 changed, -will still consider that our well-knoAvn Yellow 

 Wagtail ought to continue to be called M. Jlava, while 

 those who consider systematic nomenclature as beginning 

 with Linnseus, will continue the term Jlava to the Grey-headed 

 Wagtail of Mr. Gould. 



When the Grey-headed Wagtail was first named in this 

 country, Mr. Gould, supposing this species had been equally 

 overlooked on the Continent, called it Motacilla neglecta ; 

 but further communication with Continental Ornithologists 

 convincing him that it was the true M. Jlava of Linnseus, and 

 subsequent Continental authors, it became necessary that the 

 term neglecta should be dropped in favour of that of Jlava, 

 which it had so long borne ; and it was then considered that 

 justice would also be done to Ray's original notice of our 

 yellow bird, if it was in future to be called Rays Wagtail. 

 I have reason to believe that the application of the term 

 Rayi, as appropriated to this bird in the comparative list of 

 the Prince of Musignano, had Mr. Gould's concurrence. 



The first British specimen of this bird, obtained in Octo- 

 ber 1 834, on Walton Cliffs, near Colchester, was shot by 

 Mr. Henry Doubleday ; two birds were together, and his 

 attention was drawn to them by observing a pair so late in 

 the season, and so long after our common Yellow Wagtail 

 leaves this country. Only one of the two was secured. 



In the first volume of the Magazine of Zoology and Bo- 

 tany, it is recorded that at a meeting of the Wernerian So- 

 ciety of Edinburgh in January 1836, Sir Patrick Walker 

 read a notice of the occurrence of the Grey-headed Wagtail 

 on the banks of the w^ater of Leith : and in a note on the 



