GENUS MOTACILLA. 191 



Norfolk, Land's End, Kent (two), Fair Isle (two), Pentland Skerries 

 (Orkneys). Said to pass along Yorks. coast in autumn, which is 

 probable, but the bird is only distinguishable from the Rock- 

 Pipit in summer-plumage, when the throat is less spotted and has 

 a rosy hue. Specimens recorded by Edwards near London and 

 by MacGillivray near Edinburgh as " Alauda rubescens " (vide 

 supra) were possibly of this race. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Coasts of Scandinavia (Baltic coasts only 

 according to Collett), Danish Isles and, it is said, White Sea in 

 north Russia. In winter farther south : Heligoland (common), 

 coasts of Germany, Holland, Belgium, north France. 



Genus MOTACILLA L. 



MOTACILLA Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 184 (1758 Mixture of many 

 soft-billed Oscines, type by subsequent designation Gray 1840 M. alba L.). 



Contains the black and white, grey and yellow Wagtails. 

 Tail longer than in Pipits, as long as or longer than wing, slightly 

 rounded at tip, rec trices as a rule rather narrow. No species striped 

 or spotted. Sexes different, young different from both. Eggs 

 spotted. Old world, except Australia, where only irregular and 

 rare straggler, and Polynesia, in south parts of Asia only wintering, 

 in Africa various species, south to Cape Colony. Most numerous 

 in Palaearctic region. 



Key to adult males in summer of genus MOTACILLA. 



J Under-parts white, without any yellow . 2 

 1 Under-parts chiefly or entirely yellow . 4 



2 | Back grey 3 



~ ] Back black M. a. lugubris, p. 206 



I Ear-coverts white M. a. alba, p. 209 



| Ear-coverts black M. a. personata, p. 212 



(Tail longer than wing, outer tail-feather entirely 

 white M. c. ciiwrea, p. 202 



Tail not longer than wing, outer tail-feather 

 not entirely white 5 



J Throat white M . /. cinereocapilla,p. 197 



I Throat yellow 6 



/ Crown greenish, eye-stripe yellow .... M . f. rayi, p. 199 



I Crown ash-grey, eye-stripe white .... M. f. flava, p. 192 



/ Crown very light grey, eye-stripe white . M. /. beema, p. 196 



I Crown dark grey or slate, eye-stripe generally 



absent or ill-defined M. f. thunbergi, p. 196 



Crown black, eye-stripe nearly always absent M. f. feldegg, p. 198 



