MOTACILLID Ji — THE WAGTAILS. 



167 



Tliey leave their breediiig-pliic.es in October, cuUooting iuid moving iu 



Slllilll tloclvS. 



Tlioir cLigs iiiensiire .70 of an inch in longtli and .")'.» in tircadtli. The 

 ground-i'dlor is ol' a grayi.sh-white si* thickly Uecked witli tine ash-colnied 

 and black dots us to give tiie entire egg the ellect ol' a unil'oriu dark ashen 

 hue. 



(!i;.\is BUDYTBS, Cuvieb. 



Bi'diite.i, Ci'vii;!!, K. A. 1S17. (T^l"'' i^Macilla flava , LiXN.) 



The recent discovery of a species 

 of yellow-bellied Wagtail iu Xorton 

 Sound, liy the naturalists of the IJus- 

 sian Telegraj)!! Kxpedition, adds an- 

 other member of an Old World fam- 

 ily to the list of American birds. 

 Much confusion exists as to the pre- 

 cise numlier of species in the genus, 

 some grouping together as varieties 

 what others consider as distinct s])e- 

 cies. There is an unusual degree of 

 variation with age, sex, and sea.son, 

 and this, combined with stron<dv 

 marked geogra])hical peculiarities, ren- 

 ders the prn].er .solution of the problem impossible to any but those hav- 

 ing access to large series. 



45012 



llttdyte.s fluva. 



Budytes flava, Linn. 



YELLOW WAGTAIL, 



Mntmilln thro, |,,nn. SvsI. \„t. I (U-im, 3:5. F issni & IfAisTi.Arn, Vi,-,.] OslafVikas, 

 208. Hii.IiiIcs Jhni, I!,.n. {1S:!S). - - M,„i„.:ni..i|!|.i.-, Sil.iiisfl,,. l!,.i.sc, U, ii (Is.Vi), 

 1(!8. — Dkcani. & (iKKiiK, Oniitli. Kuioi.. I (l.sti7), :t7(i. - I'.aom), Tnins. Cliirnfro 

 .\i"i.l. Sri. I, ii, |,. ;{12, pi. .vxx, li^r. ] ; ],s,i!i. D.u.r, k ItAXMsiKii, Tr. Cli. Ac. 1, 

 LMiii, 1-27. TiiisiiiAM, |l,is, 1S71, •.>:J1. — KrxsrFi, 1872. 



Sp. Cmau. I)..s,Ti|.ti()ii ,,!• sp,...in„.i, No. 4r,.!)ii>, t:.k,.,i „t St. Mi,nim-IX Norton Sound 

 .Inn.,- (i, IStid, l,y II. .M. liiuuii.^ct.M-. AIm.v... jnclniiinfj ,>.l-.-s of ui.]).-.- tail-covert... rwh 

 olivc-^rrecM, the top and .-.ides of tho head and ncek i)nro a.'.li-.irniy ; eliin and wrll-niarkcd 

 .><trip.' froninoslrilsovrth.M.yelo li,e nape, wliitc; all und.M' parts rieli yellow, tinged with 

 olivr on the si,l<'s. Strip.' fnmi .■orn.'r of Mi,)iitli thnMigh the ey..; nn.i involving,' tlu! car- 

 .'..v.Mt.s hia.'kish-asli. F..all„.rs of win-s an.l l.-ul dark lir.iwn ; the .-ov.-rts an.F.seeonda- 

 ries eds-cd with ..liv,' (.^howini: the .)hs(Mnv h,<rht winjr-h.-ns), the loiiw.st of the latter 

 cdjre.l e.\t.'rn»lly witli whit.- inn.-nnost .piills .',ljr,.,l ..xternaily with white. Onter three 

 .inills nearly e.|nal an.l lon-.'st (ll„. proh.n.ir.MJ ,<,M.)ndari..s as l.'.n.i:). th.- .others ..'ra.lnatinp 

 loss. Outer tail-fl'athers and .shaft ,vhite ; the inner weh e.lged e.xternally with .husky. 



