PIED WAGTAIL. 401 



under tail-coverts white ; sides of the body and flanks 

 black ; legs, toes, and claws, black ; the hind claw rather 

 short. 



The whole length of a male bird seven inches and a 

 half. From the carpal joint to the end of the wing three 

 inches and three eighths ; the first three primaries very 

 nearly equal in length, but the first of the three rather 

 the longest in the wing. 



The adult female is half an inch shorter in the whole 

 length than the male ; and only differs from him, at this 

 season, in having the back lead-grey, mottled with darker 

 feathers, almost as black as those on the back of the male 

 at this season. 



In the adult male and female in winter plumage, the 

 black colour of the head and nape of the neck does not 

 extend to the back, which is then nearly uniform ash-grey ; 

 chin and throat white ; the black colour on the front of 

 the neck only appearing in the form of a gorget or cres- 

 cent, the horns of which are directed upwards to the back 

 part of the ear-coverts. The darker colour of the plumage 

 of the breeding season is obtained in the spring by an al- 

 teration taking place in the colour of the feathers, not 

 by losing the old feathers and gaining new ones : the an- 

 nual moult takes place in autumn. 



Young birds of the year resemble the parent birds in 

 their winter plumage, except that the head is not black, 

 but ash-grey, like the back ; the cheeks and ear-coverts 

 are tinged with yellow, and the upper part of the breast 

 mottled with greyish black. 



In their winter dress, as observed by Mr. Gould, there is 

 less difference in the colour of the plumage. 



The marked specific distinction between these two Wag- 

 tails, is, that the beak of our Pied Wagtail is broader than 



VOL. i. D D 



