MOTACILLI2SLE. 225 



advantage of any shade, a tree, stone, small clump, or paling, to 

 shelter them from the fierce mid-day heat. Now and then a few 

 may be seen about houses, in gardens and roads; occasionally even 

 perching on a house top, or a wall, or paling, but very rarely on 

 trees. Many are snared at Calcutta and elsewhere to be served 

 up as Ortolan. Most of the birds on first arrival are in their first 

 plumage, but they soon complete the change to the winter livery 

 of the adult; and about the end of March, the new coronal feathers 

 make their appearance, and it is not, in general, till the end of April 

 that individuals with a black cap are met with. The nidification 

 probably closely resembles that of B. Jlava, which is said to 

 breed in cornfields or meadows, or in deserted mole holes, &c, and 

 to lay several eggs of a greenish colour with fleshy spots, 



594. Budytes citreola, Pallas. 



Motacilla, apud Pallas — B. calcaratus, and B. citreoloides, 

 Hodgson — Jekdon, Cat. 134— Blyth, Cat. 772 — Hoksf., Cat. 

 559— Gould, Birds of Europe, pi. 144 — Pani ha pilkya, H. 



The Yellow-headed Wagtail. 



Descr. — In winter plumage, above light ash grey, with more or 

 less of the nape black or dusky ashy, as also, sometimes, the sides 

 of the breast ; head, and beneath yellow, with dusky olivaceous on 

 the breast and flanks ; wings dusky, the primaries edged greyish, 

 and the tertiaries margined with white ; wing-coverts broadly 

 tipped white, forming two broad white wing-bands ; lower tail- 

 coverts more or less white ; tail black, with the outermost feathers 

 on each side white, except a portion of ther? inner web, and the 

 extreme base of the outer. In full breeding plumage the upper 

 parts become intense black, the yellow on the head and lower parts 

 much brighter and more brilliant ; and the shoulders of the wings 

 grey. Young birds have the whole upper parts brownish grey, 

 beneath dingy white, tinged 3'ellow in some, and with a gorget 

 of dusky spots ; there is less white on the wing, and the super- 

 cilium, forehead, ear-coverts, and chin are generally yellow. 



Bill and feet black ; hides brown. Length 6| to 7 inches ; 

 extent 10-j ; wing 3^ to 3^ ; tail 3^ ; bill at front nearly \ ; tarsus 

 1 ; long hind claw sometimes f of an inch. 



2 F 



