to the Ornithology of Egypt. 417 



MOTACILLA FLAVA FLAVA Linil. 



Motacilla flava Shelley, p. 128. 



? Budytes flava (Linn.), Loat, Ibis, 1905, p. 457. 



My visit in March coincided with the northern migration 

 of " Yellow " Wagtails, and amongst the mixed flocks 

 containing examples of four different subspecies I saw 

 several individuals of the typical form, one of which, an 

 adult male, was obtained. 



I have little doubt tJiat the bird which Mr. Loat assigns 

 to this race was not the typical M. f. jlava, but the resident 

 Nile- Valley form, M, f. "pygmaea. I have not seen the 

 examples which he obtained, but his careful description and 

 measurements of his specimens leave no room for doubt 

 to which form they should be assigned. Moreover, 

 February 10th is far too early for any migratory movement 

 of Yellow Wagtails in Lower Egypt. 



In Noveml)er 1911 I saw a few immature examples of 

 this form in the cultivated portion of the Wadi. 



Motacilla flava dombrowskyii (Tschusi). 



Budrjtes flavus dombrowskyii Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen, Orn, 

 Jahrb. xiv. p. 161 (1903, Roumania). 



Motacilla jiava dombroivskii (Tschusi), Hartert, Vog. d, 

 pal. Fauna, vol. i. p. 289. 



Although this form has not been previously recorded from 

 Egypt, it has for some time been known to me as a spring 

 visitor on migration. In March 1909 Mr. J. L. Bonhote 

 and I obtained specimens in the Fayoum. 



On March 21st and 23rd I shot two adult males in the 

 Wadi Natrou from amongst mixed flocks of M. f. flava and 

 M. f. melanocephala. This form differs from M. f. flava in 

 having a dark slate-blue crown and almost black ear-coverts; 

 the superciliary stripe being, as in the typical form, pure 

 white. 



Motacilla flava pygm^a (Brehm). 

 Budyies pygmcEus A. E. Brehm, J.f. O. 1851, p. 74. 

 During my visit in November 1911 I saw an adult male 

 of this Wagtail at close quarters, but was unable to obtain 



