BIRDS OF GUERNSEY. 65 



very numerous, winter visitant, probably more 

 common, however, at this time of year than in the 

 summer, as I have one in winter plumage shot in 

 Guernsey in December, and another in January, 

 1879, and there is also one in the Museum in winter 

 plumage. 



Professor Ansted includes it in his list, and marks 

 it as occurring in Guernsey and Sark. 



54. YELLOW WAGTAIL. Motacilla raii, Bonaparte. 

 French, " Bergeronnette flaveole." As far as I 

 have been able to judge the Yellow Wagtail is only 

 an occasional visitant on migration. A few, how- 

 ever, may sometimes remain to breed. I have one 

 Channel Island specimen killed in Guernsey the 

 last week in March. Mr. MacCulloch, however, 

 writes me word that in some years they i..e., 

 Yellow Wagtails are not very uncommon, but of 

 late, for some reason or other, Wagtails of all sorts 

 have become rare. He adds " I am under the 

 impression that we have more than one Yellow 

 Wagtail." It is, therefore, possible that the Grey- 

 headed Wagtail, the true Motacilla flav a of Linnaeus, 

 may occasionally occur, or in consequence of the 

 bright yellow of portions of its plumage the last- 

 mentioned species the Grey Wagtail may have 

 been mistaken for a second species of Yellow Wag- 

 tail. I have not myself seen the Yellow Wagtail 

 in either of the Islands during my summer visits in 



F 



