PIED WAGTAIL. 



547 



the black on the front of the neck only appearing as a cres- 

 cent, the horns of which are directed upwards behind the 

 ear-coverts. It has been said that the darker breeding- 

 plumage is produced by an alteration of the colour of the 

 feathers in spring, not by losing the old feathers and gaining 

 new ones ; and that the annual moult takes place in autumn. 

 On the other hand some observers attribute the change to 

 the wearing off of the light tips of the feathers, while others 

 again maintain that the bird has a partial double moult. 

 On this point judgment must be suspended until further 

 observations are made. 



Young birds of the year resemble the parents in winter, 

 except that the head is 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 this state they 

 are probably the M. cinerea of some of the older authors. 



The vignette represents the appearance of the male Pied 

 Wagtail in summer and winter. 



