164 PIED WAGTAIL. 



of the head on the crown, deep black, with a glossy blue 

 tinge in summer; neck, above in front, white, as is a band 

 on each side in summer; on its lower part is a semicircular 

 band of black, narrowing upwards towards the base of the 

 bill. In the spring the interval is filled up with black. 2^ape, 

 deep black; chin, throat, and breast, white, the sides tinged 

 with grey; back above, in summer deep glossy bluish black; 

 on the middle greyish black, with a tinge of green in some 

 individuals, becoming darker as the season from spring to 

 summer advances, but still generally tinged with grey, though 

 in some specimens it is entirely black. 



The wings extend to the width of eleven inches and a half 

 or one foot, and reach to within two inches and a half of 

 the end of the tail; the second quill feather is the longest, 

 the first longer than the third, but all nearly equal. Yarrell 

 describes the first as the longest. Greater wing coverts, 

 greyish black, margined with greyish white; lesser wing coverts, 

 greyish or brownish black, their edges and tips white in 

 summer, the extreme edge grey; both forming two bars of 

 white on the wing; primaries, greyish blacky some of them 

 margined on the inner web with greyish white in summer; 

 secondaries, the same, the white edge wider, and tinged with 

 grey; tertiaries, one of which is very long, the same, the 

 edge still wider, but less in summer. The tail, which is very 

 long, and composed of twelve narrow feathers, rounded at the 

 ends, and of nearly equal length, is black, the eight middle 

 feathers black; the outside feather is usually white, with a 

 narrow black wedge-shaped band along the inner edge, ex- 

 cepting towards the end; the next also is white, with the : 

 inner black band more extended the base of both black; the 

 third has a narrow margin of white; the middle pair are the 

 widest at the base, but much narrower towards the tip. Upper 

 tail coverts, which are very long, deep black, with a glossy 

 blue tinge in summer; under tail coverts, white. Legs, toes, 

 and claws, deep black, the hind claw rather short. 



The female resembles the male. Length, seven inches and 

 a half; the crescent on the fore part of the neck is not so 

 large, and in the summer it is tinged with grey. The breast 

 is greyish white; the back has more grey, especially in summer. 

 The wings expand to the width of ten inches and three 

 quarters, or from that to eleven and a quarter; the quill 

 feathers are dusky; the tail has the two middle feathers 

 brownish black. 



