YELLOW-HEADED WAGTAIL. 139 



Bergeronnette citrine, Of the French. 



Citronengelbe ScJiafstelze, Of the GtERMANS. 



Yellow-headed Wagtail, Pennant; Arct. Zoology. 



Specific Characters. — Beak and scapularies bluisK grey; head, 

 neck, throat, and all inferior parts of the body, citron yellow; 

 the lateral tail feathers pure white. In the female top of the 

 head and cheeks ashy grey. Length six and a half to seven 

 inches. 



The Wagtails form a group of birds always in- 

 teresting to the naturalist. They are among the most 

 beautiful and elegant of the feathered tribes, and there 

 are few people who have not watched their graceful 

 movements among our rocky streams without pleasure. 



They are also interesting studies to the philosophic 

 naturalist — ^for they present him with some puzzling 

 problems as to the distinction between species and variety 

 and race. "Natural selection" has been busy with the 

 group, and without however shewing any tendency to 

 develop a Pelican or a Balceniceps Ilex out of the 

 delicate Wagtail, it has given to one a darker head, 

 and to another a gayer coat, which I doubt not will, 

 in that extensive future which we are told to expect, 

 have their due influence over the deluded eyes of the 

 weaker Wagtail sex. 



There are eight European Wagtails described by 

 authors, five of which are observed in England, Degland 

 however has reduced this eight to four. He leaves 

 out M. lugubris, Pallas, as of uncertain occurrence in 

 Europe, and he considers M. Yarrelli with which it is 

 thought identical by authors as a variety of our White 

 Wagtail, the Motacilla alba of Linnaeus. 



M. cinereo-capilla of Savi, M. melaiiacepliala and 



