THE YELLOW WAGTAIL. 201 



eye-stripe extending behind eye and little in front buff ; lores 

 and ear-coverts buff and dark brown ; chin and centre of throat 

 pale buff ; sides of throat from base of lower mandible to breast 

 and band across breast brown-black ; rest of breast buff ; belly, 

 under tail-coverts, under wing-coverts and axillaries pale yellowish- 

 buff ; tail- and wing-feathers and wing-coverts as adult but with 

 buff to whitish-buff edgings and tips. Females are paler than 

 males and in both sexes as the plumage becomes worn the upper- 

 parts become greyer-brown and under-parts more whitish. 



First winter. Male. Crown brown ; mantle same, sometimes 

 tinged green but always browner than adult ; rump duller green 

 than adult ; eye-stripe, chin and throat paler bumsh-white without 

 yellow; breast buff tinged yellow; rest of under-parts much 

 paler yellow than adult ; fringes and tips of wing-feathers and 

 wing-coverts paler and not so yellowish. (Much resembles adult 

 female winter but mantle still browner and belly paler.) The 

 juvenile body-plumage and most of the wing-coverts (not primary- 

 toverts) are moulted in July-Sept. Summer. Same moult as in 

 adult but beginning earlier, usually in December or January. After 

 movlt resembles adult. 



First winter. Female. Very closely resembling first winter 

 male but usually slightly less green on rump, and belly even paler 

 yellow, under tail-coverts sometimes white. Summer. After 

 moult becomes a little greener on rump and rather deeper yellow 

 on belly and is like first winter male and adult winter female, 

 and differs from adult summer female in being less yellow on 

 eye-stripe, chin and throat, and less green on upper-parts. 

 Measurements and structure. Like M . f. flava. 

 Soft parts. Bill greyish-black, paler at base of lower mandible ; 

 legs and feet black ; iris black-brown. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. Differences of M. f. flava are 

 given at end of description of each plumage of M. f. flava (pp. 193-4), 

 and for differences of other allied forms see p. 195. 

 FIELD-CHARACTERS. Adults in breeding dress differ from other 

 sub-species of M. flava in yellow superciliary stripe, but young 

 birds and adults after autumn moult can hardly be discriminated 

 in the field from their near allies. A bird of cultivated fields and 

 cattle pastures rather than water-side. Bounding flight like that of 

 other Wagtails. Call-note a shrill " chit-up." A warbling song, not 

 often heard. Very demonstrative if nest is approached, fluttering 

 overhead or perching in adjacent trees with incessant alarm notes. 

 BREEDING-HABITS. Generally nests in thick herbage in low-lying 

 meadows, sometimes also in cornfields or garden crops. Nest. In 

 depression, built bents and roots, thickly lined with pad of cow- 

 or horse-hair, and occasional feather or two. Eggs. Usually 6, 

 sometimes 5 or 7, and 8 once recorded. Similar to other Yellow 

 Wagtails, but whitish and olive-grey varieties have been recorded. 



