THE MASKED WAGTAIL. 213 



Summer. — Moult as in male. Black of nape not extending so far 

 doAvn as in male and no black in mantle, otherwise like adult summer 

 male. 



Juvenile. — Upper-parts as in juvenile M. a. alba, but with 

 rather more huffish tinge ; ear-coverts and sides of neck brown ish- 

 grey ; broad line behind eye as in adult but cream-coloured instead 

 of white ; chin and throat dull grey ; feathers of centre of upper- 

 breast marked dull grey but no crescentic band ; rest of imder- 

 parts dull white, often tinged creamy ; greater wing-coverts with 

 broad fringes of white tinged creamy ; median coverts white tinged 

 creamy with bases and shaft-streaks bro\vn-grey. 



First whiter. Male. — Like adult but crown greyer and often 

 with only a little black ; chin whiter and throat with more white 

 showing ; dark portions of wing-feathers and wing-coverts browner. 

 The juvenile plumage is moulted as in M. a. alba. Summer. — 

 Movilt as in M. a. alba. Like adult summer male but wing-feathers 

 browner. 



First winter. Female. — White of fore-head restricted and 

 tinged creamy ; no black on crown ; ear-coverts and sides of neck 

 dark grey ; chin and throat Avith ixsually more white than in first 

 winter male. Summer. — Like adult summer, but with some grey 

 feathers amongst black ones on nape and often some white showing 

 on chin, wing-feathers browner. 



Measurements and structure. — ^ wing 89-97 mm., tail 89-99, 

 tarsus 24-26, bill from skull 16-17 (12 measured). ? wing 87-94. 

 Bill and tail longer than in 31. a. alba. Structure as in M. a. 

 lugubris. 



Characters. — Distinguished from 31. a. lugubris and 31. a. alba 

 in all stages of plumage by white line behind ej^e and black or dark 

 grey ear-coverts and sides of neck. 



Breeding-habits. — Nest. — In recesses under stones or in tree- 

 roots in bed of streams much like M. a. lugubris. Eggs. — 4-5, 

 similar to those of other races of M. alba. Breeding-season. — May 

 and June in Afghanistan. 



Food. — [No definite information ; probably similar to other races.] 



Distribution. — England. — One (adult female) near West St. 

 Leonards (Sussex), April 26th, 1919 {ut supra). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — ^Turkestan from Transcaspia to Altai and 

 Lake Baikal, on Chotan Tagh, in oases of Nija, Keria, and Sampula, 

 south to Afghanistan and Kashmir, north to east Persia. Wintering 

 in Lidia. 



[Note. — An example of the American Yellow Waebler, Dendroica 

 oestiva cestiva (Gm.), picked up near Axwell Park (Durham), May, 1904 

 (E. Bidwell, jBuW. B.O.G., xv, p. 46), had, in our opinion, most probably 

 escaped from captivity.] 



