AND OTHER WAGTAILS. 139 



bird. The latter's cheeks are pale grey and pure white, and the 

 crown is always of a pure light grey, in full plumage. I 

 think, too, the tail of the European species is longer ; but of 

 this I am not quite sure. We ought to have the same exact 

 correspondence in flava of the two Continents that we have in 

 melanocephala and cinereocapilla ; and I therefore propose that 

 Hodgson's term of Budytes dubius be used for the Indian 

 representative of B. flava. The adult females in breeding 

 plumage of each should be compared, and the young in first 

 plumage. 



Abolishing a recoguized species where a slight difference is 

 well known to exist, as in M. dukhunensis, is not satisfactory ; 

 and I always feel, in such a case, that an injustice has been 

 done to a bird worthy of a better fate. When we have not the 

 means of absolute proof, and intermediate bridging examples are 

 not proof \ the bird should be allowed to stand for the sake of 

 convenience. It does not much matter, while we have this 

 differing ci form" constantly before us, whether it is actually 

 specific or not. Even Mr. Darwin himself could not prove the 

 point. We may abolish this species or that, but while one 

 strong fact remains, the majority of observers won't concur. 



The most perfect case of bridging over by means of inter- 

 mediate forms, is that of the Skylarks. A skin of Alauda 

 gulgula could be stuffed inside that of a large Persian or Punjab 

 Skylark. One is a giant and the other a pigmy, yet by inter- 

 mediate forms Mr. Dresser has bridged them over. Is this 

 satisfactory ? Worst of all, both are found in India, but the 

 large bird, A. dulcivox, is only a cold weather visitant, while 

 gulgula breeds as far south as Cawnpore and Bhaugulpore. The 

 Skylarks are a puzzle to us all, and we cannot tell exactly what 

 constitutes specific difference in Alauda. Certainly there are a 

 good many kinds, and I believe the end of the world will come 

 before they are all correctly separated. 



When man interferes with Nature, any thing may be done ; 

 and a Bantam and a Cochin-China fowl may be legitimately 

 bridged over ; but Nature, as far as birds are concerned, with 

 which man does not interfore, is immutable, and especially so 

 are the small sylvine migrants. Six thousand years would not* 

 alter the tint of a Reed Warbler, nor the form of its wing and 

 bill, and I don't see why a Wagtail should be less constant to 

 its specific characters. 



Motacilla luzoniensis, Scopoli. — This Mr, Seebohm proposes 

 to call M. alboides, Hodgson. It can never take this name, 

 for 31. alboides is beyond all doubt the winter plumage of 



* Is not this, just a little, begging the question ?— Ed 



