lOO THE MIGRATION OF BRITISH BIRDS 



fines of its distribution. It is, however, one of tlic 

 commonest birds in summer across the English Channel 

 in France and Holland. It breeds in Western Europe, 

 say from Denmark to Iberia, and probably in North- 

 west Africa, but, as is usual in such cases in the far 

 east, it does not breed so far south. It passes South- 

 east Europe and North-east Africa on migration, and 

 winters in South Africa. The Arctic form of this 

 Wagtail {Motacilla cmereocapilla) is a summer visitor to 

 North Europe (as far west as Scandinavia) and Asia 

 (ranging from lat. 63° to lat. 6'^''), the European indi- 

 viduals passing through Central and Southern Europe 

 and North-east Africa on migration, and wintering in 

 Equatorial Africa ; but, as if still further to indicate 

 this dominant line of North-western Emigration, we find 

 a colony of this race established in the Lombard Alps ! 

 Again, another race, J\I. melanocepJiala, is a summer 

 visitor to Italy, Greece, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, 

 Persia, and Turkestan, the birds breeding in Europe 

 migrating south-east to winter in North-east Africa. 

 Both these races are, of course, entirely unknown in 

 Iberia and North-west Africa, and strictly abnormal 

 wanderers to any part of West Europe say west of 

 Denmark. The migrations of the Bluc-headcd Wagtail 

 to and from North-west Europe, even to Holland and 

 France, trend to the south-east ; the migrations of the 

 individuals breeding in Iberia, and possibly North-west 

 Africa, are limited within that area, and do not even 

 extend so far south as the Canary Islands. I may also 

 remark that this Wagtail is a very late migrant to West 

 Europe, as is usual with migrants from the south-east, 

 appearing in Holland, etc., late in April, a month or 



