60 A CAT.VXOGIJE OP THE BIEDS 



of their plumage, or any other character whatever; the habits 

 are the same ; the nest and eggs are the same ; and both forms 

 are found in STreden and in England. Then why consider them 

 distinct species ? The warm-coloured form prevails in Sweden, 

 the less-warmly-coloured one in England, and both ought appar- 

 ently to be looked upon as races. A. ohscurm and A. rupestris 

 seem to bear to each other the same relation as A. 'pratemh and 

 A. cervhms. 



57. BUDYTES, G. Cnvier. 

 56. Gkev-headed "Wagtail, B. flava, {hinnmis). 



IfofaciUa necjlecta, Yarrell, Hist. Erit. Birds, Ed. 2, I., 412. 

 JDudijtesJlava, Gould, Birds of Gt. Britain, Part XIY. 



A rare spring-and-autumn migrant. It was first taken in the 

 district by Mr. Thos. Robson, who shot a male specimen, on the 

 1st of May, 1836, on Dunston Haughs, a little west of IS'ew- 

 castle ; it was in company with another individual, which was 

 probably a female. A notice was giA^en of this capture in the 

 ''Mag. of Zoology and Botany," Yol. I., p. 491. 



In May, 1859, I saw in the hands of Mr. Duncan, bird pre- 

 serve]', another male specimen, which was shot in the neighbour- 

 hood of ]*fewcastle. Mr. Lawson, of Blaydon, took two nests of 

 this species in the latter end of May, 1869, on Dunston Haughs: 

 they contained five eggs each. A year or two before this date 

 that gentleman had observed a bird in this locality, and suspected 

 that it was nesting there. On June 13th, 1870, Mr. Joseph 

 "Watson, Junr., Gateshead, found another nest at the same place, 

 but it had been trodden on by a horse, and the eggs were de- 

 stroyed. On the 5th of July, I accompanied Mr. Watson to the 

 spot and saAV the crushed nest, and avc also saw two or three 

 young birds, of anotlier ])rood, with their parents feeding them. 

 T^\o of the young avovc shot a day or two after by Mr. Lawson, 

 who kindly presented one of them to me. And I am indebted 

 to Mr. "Watson for a fine adult female wliich he shot at this place 

 on the 21st of May, 1872. 



From the above facts it -would seem pretty certain tliat the 



