1C8 NORTH AMKlMfAN IJIUIW. 



wiiicli. hrtriimitiL' at th«' l»asr. luii^ <»ut irra<lually to tlic «'»ljr«', .il)ont luilfaii inch from tip 

 olfeatluTs; st-coiul iV-athtT with raflicr Itv^s wliitt*, ai.tl with a iiartuw hue of brown aloufj 



the out»'r .«i<h' i>f thr >hat"t t<t within half 

 /^v an ini'ij i»f th«' tij>. iJill an«l U'j^'s Markish. 



Dininisions (|trrj»;n»<l sjK'tinicn). To- 

 tal Ifngth. «;.<»(>: win,L'. iJ.OO ; tail. ;{.IM); 

 «'Xjm»s«m1 {Htrtion of lijst ]>ri!nary, 2.30. 

 iJill : k'ntrtli from forehead, (►..'jj^; fntni 

 nostril, ()M'>\ alonj; irapo, (>..")7. T^',ir< : 

 tarsus, 0.01 : niidille to«' and daw. 0.70; 

 claw aloiu', O.IO; hind toe and elaw, (►.(*.'); 

 claw alone, o.;;»i. 



A second speeinnii (No. 4.">.!H0) differs 

 in having ashy color of head obscured 

 Bu,h,u.s flava ^^''^^* olivai.-eous-hrown ; and the yellow 



on breast showing' bi-ownish bjuses. Tiie 

 lipht markin<jrs on the wind's more clistinel and whit«T. 



Another bird (Xo. 4'».0i;}). taken on shipb(»ard. about ninety miles we.«!t of St. Mat- 

 thew's Island. Hehriuir's Sea. Aui^ust lo. 18<»(J. apj)ears to be of the same species, in 

 autunnial dress. Hcrr tin- uj»per colors are more brown ; the lower parts ydlowi.sh-white 

 tin-red with browni.sh-fulvous across the breast and think. Kanitsehatkan .specimens of the 

 same staL'c of plumaire are very similar. 



I am unable to distin«;iiish tliis sj^ecies from the Protean Bvih/te>i flava of 

 Europe and Asia. Many different races ai)pear to be found throughout this 

 wide circle of distribution, many of them more or less h>cal, but the jjropor- 

 tions and general character are the same in all, and the general tendency 

 appears to be to unite all into one sj)ecies. The sexes and ages of all the 

 species, real or sui>i)osed, vary very much, and, in tlie absence of a large 

 series, I can throw no light u})on the obscurities of the subject. I cite 

 above the latest general work on the birds of Europe, m which will be 

 found the principal synonymes. 



The specimens from Alaska subnutted for examination to Mr. H. B. Tris- 

 tram were identified bv him as the B. tlava. 



Haiuts. The Gray-headed Wagtail of Europe finds a place in the fauna 

 of Xorth America as a bird of Alaska, where specimens have l)een obtained, 

 and where it is, at least, an occasional visitant. It is not a common bird of 

 the British Islands, where it is replaced by a closely allied species. Only 

 seven or eight instances of its occurrence were known to Mr. YaiTell. 



On the continent of Europe it isipiite an abundant s])ecies, inhabiting wet 

 springy ] daces in moist meadows, and frecptenting the vicinity^ of water and 

 the gravelly eilges of rivei*s. It is numerous in all the central portions of 

 Europe. It has also an extensive northern and eastern geographical range, 

 ajipearing in Norway and Sweden as early as April and remaining there 

 until Septeml)er. Linnteus met with it in Lapland on the 22d of May. It 

 occurs in Algeria. "Vubia, and Egypt. Mr. Oould has received it from the 

 Himalayas, and Temminck gives it as a bird of Japan. 



Aecoi*ding to Degland, this bird is a very abundant species in France, 



