192 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Key to adult males in winter of genus Motacilla. 

 , Under-parts without any yellow 



3- 



Under-parts with some yellow ... 4 



I Back ashy-grey 3 



I Back darker, more slate-grey mixed with black M. a. lugubris, p. 20n 



( Ear-coverts white M. a. alba, p 209 



I Ear-coverts black M. a. personata, p. 212 



4. 



Tail longer thanwing, outer tail-feather entirely 



white M. c. cinerea, p. 202 



Tail not longer than wing, outer tail-feather not 

 entirely white o 



Crown black with green and greyish-brown 

 edges, ear-coverts black and greenish-brown, 

 eye-stripe absent M. f. feldegg, p. 198 



Crown greenish-brown, ear-coverts brownish 



slate-colour, eye-stripe absent or ill-defined, 



rarely distinct and well-defined . . . M. f. thunbergi, p. i9r> 



and M. f.cinereocapill a, p 197 

 Crown greenish-brown, ear-coverts brown with 



whitish stripes, eye-stripe yellowish-white M. f. flava, p. 192 



and M. f. beema, p. 196 

 Crown greenish-brown, ear-coverts brown with 



buff or yellowish markings, eye-stripe 



buffish-yellow to buff M. f. rayi, p. 199 



MOTACILLA FLAVA 



77. Motacilla flava flava L. — THE BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL. 



Motacilla flava Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 185 (1758 — " Habitat 

 in Europa." Restricted typical locality : §. Sweden). 

 Motacilla flava Linnaeus, Yarrell, i, p. 558 ; Saunders, p. 127 ; M. f. flava L., 

 N. F. Ticehiu-st, Brit. B., i, p. 134 et seq. 



Description (Plate 7). — Adult male. Winter. — ^Fore-head and 

 fore-part of crown bluish-grey much obscured by greenish-brown 

 tips of feathers ; rest of crown, mantle and scapulars greenish- 

 brown (yellowish-green tips and edges of feathers soon wear away 

 and fore-head becomes greyer, crown greyish-brown and mantle 

 browner) ; rump yellowish-green ; upper tail-coverts dark brown 

 tipped and fringed green ; line from nostrils over and behind 

 eye and apex of chin white slightly tinged creamy-yellow ; lores, 

 line under eye and ear-coverts brown with whitish markings ; 

 rest of chin, throat, lower-breast, belly and under tail-coverts 

 bright yellow ; upper-breast buffish-yellow, and many of the 

 feathers, especially in centre and at sides, marked dark brown, 

 forming a very ill-defined pectoral band ; flanks greenish-yellow ; 

 under wing-coverts and axillaries very pale yellow ; tail-feathers 

 black-brown, very narrowly fringed greenish to whitish-yellow, 



