168 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



In winter the chin, throat, and fore-neck become white and 

 the black of the breast is confined to a narrow crescent-shaped 

 patch, the horns of the crescent extending up the sides of the 

 fore -neck. 



Young birds in their first autumn resemble adults in winter 

 plumage, but the back of the crown, the nape, and hind-neck 

 are gray, like the back, whOe the white parts of the head are 

 tinged with primrose -yellow. 



Bill black, bluish beneath ; iris brown ; legs, feet, and claws 

 blackish -brown. 



Length about 7 • 75 ; wing 3 • 5 ; tail 3*6; tarsus • 85 ; bill 

 from gape • 75. 



Distribution. — A recent addition to our list. At the end of 

 November, 1917, I saw several strange Wagtails on the 

 maidan at Puttalam, and secured one which proved to be a 

 young male of this form. The other birds stayed for some 

 weeks, but left at the end of January. This species occurs 

 over most of the Old World, breeding in the north of its range, 

 from the British Isles to Eastern Siberia, and wintering in 

 Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and Southern Asia, It 

 is divided into several sub-species, the present race breeding 

 in Central Siberia and cantering in India and Burma, It 

 seldom, however, penetrates as far as the south of India, 

 though possibly it may occasionally visit the Island unnoticed 

 among other Wagtails. 



Habits.- — The birds I saw frequented the grassy fiats round 

 Puttalam resthouse along with numbers of the Gray-headed 

 Wagtail. It might be looked for on open grassy spaces, 

 wherever there are troops of the last-mentioned species 



MOTACILLA MADERASPATENSIS. 



The Large Pied Wagtail. 



Motacilla maderaspatensis (Gates, Vol. II.. p. 291 : Legge, 

 p. 607). 



Description. — Male : A broad white eyebrow from the 

 nostril to the nape ; head, neck all round, and upper plumage 

 to the tail coverts glossy-black ; lesser and median wing 



