430 Notices and Descriptions of various [May, 



From the province of Mymunseng Mr. Frith has presented the Society 

 with a heautiful specimen, having the back deep black ! 



B. viridis, (Gm.), founded on Brown's figure, pi. 33 : B. melanoce- 

 phala, Savi, and also of Sykes ; probably B, beema, Sykes ; and B. 

 neglect a, melanocephala, et jlava, of Jerdon's list ;* Blue-headed Wag- 

 tail of Latham ; and his Wagtail Lark is the female of either this or 

 the next species. In a very interesting paper on the birds of Corfu, 

 &c. {Ann. Mag. N. H. 1843, p. 416), it is stated that the Yellow 

 Wagtail of that part differs from the English one, in having the head 

 in the breeding season of a jet-black, at other times of a lead-colour. 

 This black-headed species is common in Afghanistan ; and it would 

 seem also to be that found generally in peninsular India, and in the 

 west ; but never in Lower Bengal, that I am aware of. Having no 

 specimens, I cannot point out any difference that its hyemal garb may 

 exhibit from that of the next species. 



B.Jlava (? Lin.) : Motacilla bistrigata, Raffles ; perhaps B, beema, 

 Sykes ; B. cinereocapilla (?), of southern Europe ; B. neglecta (?), 

 Gould. Several species of Budytes are puzzling in the extreme, from 

 their general similarity combined with the variation to which each is 

 subject. Mr. Gould first distinguished the common British species 

 from that equally common on the European continent, both of which 

 had been confounded under B.Jlava, (Lin.); as he likewise did the 

 British and continental Pied "Wagtails, that had been confounded under 

 Mot. alba ; and the respective Rock Pipits which had been alike classed 

 as Anthus aquaticus.f It is very curious and remarkable that, in each 

 of these instances, the common British species is extremely rare (even 

 if they have all been yet noticed,) in the neighbouring continental coun- 

 tries, and vice versd. Fortunately, the Society now possesses fine 

 specimens of each of the six, which enables me the better to form an 

 opinion respecting their Indian equally near afnnes.J In the common 

 British Budytes, now B. Baii, Pr. Bonap., particularly in summer 



* Mr. Jerdon now considers these to be the same, vide Madr. Journ. No. xxxi, 132. 



t The American species figured under this name in the Fauna Americana-borealis, 

 is distinct again, being- the A. hidovicianus, Bonap. 



t Since writing- the above, I have come to the conclusion that two Norwegian speci- 

 mens sent as A. obscurus, are neither that species nor A. aquaticus ; but merely dark 

 specimens of A. pratensis in summer dress, shot late in the season. 



