556 MOTACILLIDJ3. 



according to Dr. A. E. Brehm, resident at Mensa. Turning 

 westward the statement of Loche that it breeds in Algeria 

 is unsupported by later inquirers, but as Mr. Wright has 

 noticed that it arrives in Malta in autumn and is then com- 

 mon there, while he adds that a few remain till March (some 

 even stopping to breed), it may be reasonably supposed that 

 the greater number migrate to North Africa for the winter, 

 and indeed Mr. J. H. Gurney, junior, believes that he saw 

 it at Oran. Many persons, the Editor among them, have 

 observed it in Madeira, and Mr. Godman says that it is 

 also very common and resident in the Canaries and Azores.* 

 Throughout the other countries of southern and western 

 Europe not above named it is also found in suitable localities. 



In summer the bill of the male is dusky brown ; the edges 

 of both mandibles light brown ; irides dark hazel : crown of 

 the head and the ear-coverts slate-grey, with a narrow white 

 streak above the eye and ear-coverts, bounding the lore, which 

 is black, above, and a second shorter white streak beneath 

 the lore ; neck, scapulars, back and rump, slate-grey ; wing- 

 coverts and quills almost black, the former tipped with huffy- 

 white; the tertials with white edges, and white on a large 

 portion of the inner web ; upper tail-coverts greenish-yellow ; 

 the outside tail-feather on each side white ; the second and 

 third on each side also white, with a narrow black line on the 

 outer web ; the six middle tail-feathers black, with yellowish 

 edges at the base; the chin and throat black, the latter 

 bounded by a white line ; breast, belly and lower tail-coverts, 

 bright king's yellow: legs, toes and claws, pale brown. 



The whole length of the bird is seven inches and three- 

 quarters, of which the tail-feathers measure nearly half. 

 From the carpal joint to the end of the quill-feathers, 

 three inches : the second and third primaries nearly equal, 

 but the third the longest in the wing. 



In winter the chin and throat are dirty white, the breast 

 and superciliary streak dull buff, the belly greyish- white, 

 tinged with yellow. 



* Azorean specimens are said to have shorter tails than British examples, in 

 this respect resembling the Eastern M. melanope. 



