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WHITE WAGTAIL. 
GREY AND WHITE WAGTAIL. 
Motacilla alba, LINNZvus. GMELIN. 
- Brissoni, MACGILLIVRAY, 
Motacilla—A Wagtail. Alba—White. 
As stated in the previous article, these two supposed species 
of Wagtail have only lately been considered as such; having 
been previously, and, as is thought, erroneously, combined 
under one. JI will not pass a decided opinion upon the 
subject—the imagined differences will appear in the specific 
description; but I must observe that some degree of uncer- 
tainty even still prevails. Thus Mr. Macgillivray, usually so 
scrupulously accurate, in treating of the present bird, quotes 
Mr. Gould as saying that it, the Linnean one, has never yet 
been discovered in any part of England, yet Mr. Macgillivray 
is himself describing it as a sufficiently plentiful species at 
the time; and then, nevertheless, after so saying, he gives 
his own description from continental specimens. So again, 
Myr. Yarrell says that ‘although’ believing the birds to be 
distinct, he gives figures and descriptions of ‘both;’ and then 
follows, with the figure of the Pied Wagtail, one of the 
Continental White Wagtail, which, he says, he has very little 
doubt ‘will be’ occasionally found in this country. All this 
seems like ‘confusion worse confounded; and I cannot with 
truth profess to be able to see my way very clearly. In 
the last edition, however, he gives it. The Prince of Musignano 
considers that two distinct species exist. 
This bird is found over the whole of the continent of 
