98 ALLEN'? NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



Motacilla sulphured^ Newt. ed. Yarr., i., p. 552 (1874); Seeb., I>r. 

 B., ii., p. 203 (1884); Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B., pt. vi. 

 (1888). 



Adult Male in Summer Plumage. Above blue-grey, the lower 

 rump and upper tail-coverts brighter yellow ; breast yellow, 

 the under tail-coverts brilliant yellow throat black, with a 

 white moustachial streak on each side ; wing-feathers dusky 

 brown, edged with ashy olive, the inner secondaries dull white 

 near the base of the outer web, forming a wing-patch bill 

 black ; feet blackish ; iris dark brown. Total length, 6-8 

 inches; culmen, 0*55 ; wing, 3^25 ; tail, 3*55; tarsus, 075. 



Adult Female. Similar to the male, but with less black on 

 the throat, the feathers edged with hoary white. Total length, 

 7 inches; culmen, <r6 ; wing, 3-25 ; tail, 3-8; tarsus, 0-8. 



Winter Plumage. Similar to the summer plumage, but with 

 the throat white. 



Young Birds. Like the adults in their winter dress, but with 

 a wash of pale fawn-colour on the cheeks, throat, and fore-neck ; 

 a fawn-coloured eyebrow. 



Range in Great Britain. Somewhat locally distributed, and 

 breeding more particularly in the mountainous and hilly por- 

 tions of the British Islands. In the southern counties it is 

 chiefly known as an autumn migrant, frequenting streams, but 

 it also breeds in the south, regularly in the south-western 

 districts, more sparingly in the south-eastern parts of the coun- 

 try. 



Range outside the British Islands. A bird of very wide distri- 

 bution, extending throughout Europe and Asia to the Pacific, 

 but not extending very high north, nor reaching beyond 

 Central Russia, and only found in the extreme south of 

 Scandinavia. In the countries of Southern Europe it is a 

 resident, but is migratory in the more northern parts of its 

 range, and it visits in winter the high mountain ranges of North- 

 eastern and Central Africa, the peninsula of India, the Bur- 

 mese countries, and extends into the Molucca Islands. 



Habits. Although coloured like the Field Wagtails, the 

 present species is a " Water " Wagtail in its habits, and is 

 generally found in autumn along the sides of rivers and ponds 



