GREY-HEADED WAGTAIL. 441 



feathers dark brown ; the small and great coverts, and the 

 tertials, edged with yellowish white ; the two outer tail- 

 feathers on each side, white, with a black border on the 

 inner web of each, that of the second feather being broader 

 than that of the first; the third feather black, with a 

 narrow outer edge of white ; the six central tail-feathers 

 nearly uniform black ; the chin white, this colour extend- 

 ing as far as the end of the ear-coverts in a line under- 

 neath them ; the throat, breast, and all the under surface 

 of the body, bright gamboge yellow ; legs, toes, and claws, 

 black. 



The old male in the autumn loses the yellow tint on the 

 back, the greener colour then prevailing, and the whole of 

 the under surface of the body, losing brilliancy, fades to a 

 primrose yellow. 



The length of the male is six inches and a half. From 

 the carpal joint to the end of the wing, three inches and 

 one-eighth : the first, second, and third quill -feathers very 

 nearly equal in length ; but the first is rather the longest. 



The whole length of an adult female is six inches and 

 one-eighth. In the breeding- season the head, ear-coverts, 

 and nape of the neck, are slate-grey; over the eye and 

 ear-coverts a white streak ; the back dull olive ; the edges 

 of the wing-coverts and tertials nearly white; the chin 

 and throat white ; all the rest of the under surface of the 

 body pale king's yellow. 



In autumn the grey head of the female is mixed with 

 greenish brown, the white streak over the eye and the ear- 

 coverts remaining ; the chin white ; throat and breast bufiy 

 white ; belly, and under tail-coverts, primrose yellow. 



The young male in his first autumn plumage resembles 

 the adult female in the breeding-season, except that the 

 grey of the head is more mixed with brown, and the yel- 

 low of the upper part of the breast is clouded with brown 



