WAGTAILS. 319 



in which the head and neck are yellow-green like the back, 

 has yet been observed in Scandinavia. 



In describing this M. melanocephala, Bp., in his " Birds 

 of Europe/'' under the name of " the black-headed yellow 

 wagtail/' Dr. Bree observes: "Mr. Tristram has . informed 

 me that he has seen every gradation of colour from 

 M.flaveola (the British yellow wagtail) , up to the If. melano- 

 cephala, and has sent me specimens which bear out the 

 opinion of Temminck, that its claims to be considered a good 

 species are doubtful.-''' In fact, he observes, it is very 

 probable that all the European yellow wagtails are perma- 

 nent varieties or races of the same type. 



So Nilsson appears to think, for in describing this M. 

 flava, L. which, of course, as being the common Scandina- 

 vian form he considers the type he mentions M. melano- 

 cephala as a northerly, and M. Rayii as a westerly, form of 

 that species. 



I can only say that in Scandinavia I could never see any 

 transitions in colour from our M. flava, to that of M. melano- 

 cephala. The difference in colour of the head is apparent at 

 a glance, and I have examined scores of specimens. I have 

 occasionally seen M. melanocephala with a white streak 

 over the eye, but the head is always deep black. It is the 

 only yellow wagtail I ever met with in Lapland. I never 

 saw the grey-headed yellow wagtail there, nor have I 

 clearly identified the black-headed bird breeding with us in 

 Wermland, although we see lots in the spring. Strange 

 that Wright does not mention this black-headed form in 

 his Finland fauna, but he says that the grey-headed yellow 

 wagtail is common in summer throughout the whole country. 

 I always fancied that the call-note of the black-headed 

 bird was much sharper than that of the grey-headed. The 

 breeding localities, nest, and eggs of both are alike. 



This form is not mentioned by Kjarbolling in his <c Birds 

 of Denmark," but he describes a third form unknown in 

 Scandinavia, which appears to be not so very uncommon in 

 parts of Denmark, and this is the M. flava cinereocapilla, 

 Savi, which Dr. Bree figures as the " grey-headed yellow 



