The Zoologist — November, 18G7. 9G9 



Goldcrest and Firecrest. — Many people suppose that the only 

 difference between the goldcrest and the firecrest consists in the crest 

 of the latter being of a more flaming yellow than that of the former. 

 If this were so the difficulty in distinguishing the two species would 

 be great. A much clearer difference than this, however, exists: the 

 firecrest invariably has a white line both above and below the eye, and 

 a black line running through the eye; hence Temminck called it 

 "Roitelet a triple bandeau." These three lines are absent in the 

 goldcrest. 



Cole Tit and Marsh Tit. — The marsh tit may be known from the 

 cole tit by the absence of the white spot on the nape of the neck, 

 which is always present in the latter bird. 



Pied and White Wagtails. — We believe it is still a disputed point 

 amongst naturalists whether the pied and white wagtails are really 

 distinct species, or whether one is only a different form or variety of 

 the other, owing its variation to the influence of a different climate, 

 soil and food. But the same may be said of many other allied 

 species ; and it becomes necessary to decide what constitutes a 

 species, an inquiry which is by Ho means easily answered. That cer- 

 tain differences which appear to be constant, do exist, however, 

 between the pied and white wagtails may readily be seen on a com- 

 parison of the two birds so called, especially if adult specimens in 

 summer plumage be selected. We will do no more than point out 

 the differences between them, leaving it to other naturalists to receive 

 or reject them as distinct species. In the white wagtail the head is 

 covered with a distinct hood of pure black, perfectly defined and not 

 mixing either with the gray of the back or the white of the forehead ; 

 the white on the cheeks and sides of the neck completely separates 

 the black of the head from that of the throat and breast, there being 

 no black before the shoulders ; the sides also are much lighter and the 

 tail somewhat longer. In the female there is no mixture of black on 

 the back and nape, which there is in all the females of the pied wag- 

 tail which I have examined. 



Yellow and Grayheaded Wagtails. — That pretty summer visitant 

 the yellow wagtail and its congener the grayheaded wagtail, less 

 common in England than on the Continent, are almost as frequently 

 confounded as the pied and white wagtails, and in their immature 

 state it certainly is not easy to distinguish them. When fully adult 

 the chief points of difference between these two species may perhaps 

 be best shown as follows : — 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. II. 3 L 



