164 PIED WAGTAIL. 
of the head on the crown, deep black, with a glossy blue 
tinge in summer; neck, above in front, white, as is a band 
on each side in summer; on its lower part is a semicircular 
band of black, narrowing upwards towards the base of the 
bill. In the spring the interval is filled up with black. Nape, 
deep black; chin, throat, and breast, white, the sides tinged 
with grey; back above, in summer deep g glossy bluish black; 
on the middle ereyish black, with a tinge of green in some 
individuals, becoming darker as the season from spring to 
summer advances, but still generally tinged with grey, though 
in some specimens it is entirely black. 
The wings extend to the width of eleven inches and a half 
or one foot, and reach to within two inches and a half of 
the end of the tail; the second quill feather is the longest, 
the first longer than the third, but all nearly equal. Yarrell 
describes the first as the longest. Greater wing coverts, 
greyish black, margined with greyish white; lesser wing coverts, 
greyish or brownish black, their edges and tips white in 
summer, the extreme edge grey; both forming two bars of 
white on the wing; primaries, greyish black, some of them 
margined on the inner web with greyish white in summer; 
secondaries, the same, the white edge wider, and tinged with 
erey; tertiaries, one of which is very long, the same, the 
edge still wider, but less in summer. The tail, which is very 
lone, and composed of twelve narrow feathers, rounded at the 
ends, and of nearly equal length, is black, the eight middle 
feathers black; the outside feather is usually white, with a 
narrow black wedge-shaped band along the inner edge, ex- 
eatuae towards the end; the next also is white, w ‘ith the 
aner black band more extended—the base of both black; the 
third has a narrow margin of white; the middle pair are the 
widest at the base, but much narrower towards the tip. Upper 
tail coverts, which are very long, deep black, with a glossy 
blue tinge in summer; under tail coverts, white. Legs, toes, 
and claws, deep black, the hind claw rather short. 
The female resembles the male. Length, seven inches and 
a half; the crescent on the fore part of the neck is not so 
large, and in the summer it is tinged with grey. The breast 
is greyish white; the back has more grey, especially in summer. 
The wings expand to the width of ten inches and three 
quarters, or from that to eleven and a quarter; the quill 
feathers are dusky; the tail has the two middle feathers 
brownish black. 
