378 MOTACILLID.E. 



Continental works, are so much like those of our common 

 summer visiter to be in future called Ray's Wagtail, that 

 they can scarcely be distinguished. The food of this bird, 

 according to M. Temminck, is flies, moths, small green 

 caterpillars, and aquatic insects. 



The fififure at the head of this article was taken, as before 

 observed, from a British-killed specimen. I am indebted to 

 Mr. Henry Doubleday for a pair of these birds ; and Mr. 

 Hoy has very kindly allowed me the use of seven specimens 

 killed at different seasons of the year. From these ten 

 examples I am enabled to supply the following descriptions. 



The adult male, during that part of spring and summer 

 which may be said to constitute the breeding-season, has the 

 beak black ; the irides dusky brown ; the top of the head, the 

 lore, or space between the beak and the eye, the ear-coverts, 

 and nape of the neck, lead-grey ; over the eye, and extending 

 also over the ear-coverts, a distinct white line ; the scapulars, 

 back, and upper tail-coverts, greenish olive, tinged with 

 yellow ; wing-coverts and quill- feathers dark brown ; the 

 small and great coverts and the tertials edged with yellowish 

 white ; the two outer tail-feathers, on each side, white, with 

 a black border on the inner web of each, that of the second 

 feather being broader than that of the first ; the third feather 

 black, with a narrow outer edge of Avhite ; the six central 

 tail-feathers nearly uniform black ; the chin white, this colour 

 extending as far as the end of the ear-coverts in a line un- 

 derneath them ; the throat, breast, and all the under surface of 

 the body bright gamboge yellow ; legs, toes, and claws, black. 



The old male in the autumn loses the yellow tint on the 

 back, the greener colour then prevailing, and the whole of 

 the under surface of the body losing brilliancy fades to a 

 primrose yellow. 



The length of the male is six inches and a half. From 

 the carpal joint to the end of the wing three inches and one- 



