148 THE ZOOLOG1S1. 



White Wagtail in North Wales. — A noticeable feature in the spring 

 migration of 1891 was the abundance, in this district, of the continental 

 White Wagtail (Motacilla alba). The first bird of this species I noticed 

 was feeding on a freshly-ploughed field, in company with about a dozen of 

 the common species [Motacilla lugubris), on March 4th, all apparently 

 males, and no doubt a migratory party. I did not see another till April 

 5th, when one appeared by a farmyard pond, and another — or perhaps the 

 same bird again — on a neighbouring marsh. At dusk, on April 9th, with 

 a strong E. wind, I observed an immense assemblage of Wagtails on a 

 muddy backwater on the Carnarvonshire side of the River Glaslyn. The 

 light was too bad to distinguish the species, but 1 believe . this flock 

 contained several White Wagtails. I visited the spot early the next 

 morning, but the party had passed on, and not a single bird was to be seen. 

 On the 20th, with a light E. wind, two White and several Pied Wagtails 

 appeared along the banks of the Glaslyn. On the 21st there were quite a 

 dozen White, with a few Yellow, and many Pied Wagtails at the same 

 place. On the following day both species had considerably increased, and 

 I saw quite a score of White Wagtails, but no Yellow ones. The next day 

 (23rd) my brother saw about half-a-dozen on the edge of Llyntecwyn. On 

 the 24th they were still numerous along the Glaslyn, and continued so till 

 the 27th, on which day the numbers of both species had considerably 

 decreased, the strong E. wind, which had been blowing since the 21st, 

 having gone down. I did not visit the marsh again until May 2nd, when 

 the White Wagtails had entirely disappeared ; but on the following day I 

 saw a single bird on the Port Madoc embankment.. A very large majority 

 of both species appeared to be males. The White Wagtails were decidedly 

 wilder than the common ones, and their note seemed to me to differ ; 

 indeed, I should have overlooked those seen on April 20th, if this difference 

 had not drawn my attention to them. This Wagtail is a rare bird in the 

 district, though probably, if the large flocks of migratory Wagtails which 

 pass through every year in March and April were carefully examined, it 

 would be found to be of annual occurrence. — G. H. Caton Haigh (Aber-ia, 

 Penrhyndeudraeth, Merionethshire, North Wales). 



Hybrid Teal and Wild Duck. —In the March number of 'The. 

 Zoologist ' (p. J 09) I noticed a hybrid between a male Teal and a female 

 Wild Duck, which had been lately shot in Anglesea. In the editorial note 

 appended thereto it is stated that this is the hybrid figured in the earlier 

 editions of Yarrell's ' British Birds ' under the name " Bimaculated Duck." 

 But, upon referring to the latest edition of that work (vol. iv. p. 389], I find 

 thai Mr. Hancock was " convinced that the so-called Bimaculated Duck is a 

 hybrid between Teal and Wigeon." The bird 1 examined in Mr. Small's 

 shop in the flesh was distinctly, to the utmost of my belief, a hybrid — as I 

 stated — between the Teal and Wild Duck, and had yellow feet, besides the 



