140 YELLOW-HEADED WAGTAIL. 



M. flaveola, (Ray's Wagtail,) are considered by both 

 Deglaiid and Scblegel, to be races or varieties of M.flava, 

 (our Grey-lieaded Wagtail.) 



Mr. Tristram writes me word that he cannot satisfy 

 himself of the specific distinction of M. flava from M. 

 cinereocephala, and that he can shew every intermediate 

 gradation between M. flaveola, and M. onelanocephala. 



This subject is very well treated by Dr. Zander in 

 "Naumannia," 1858, Part 3, p. 239. Dr. Zander, con- 

 siders that all European Wagtails are varieties of M. 

 alba, M. hoarula, M. citreola, and M. fiava, Linnaeus. 

 He says he considers much of the difficulty arises 

 from the fact that the intermediate varieties are not 

 so frequently seen as the so-called species. He de- 

 scribes how perplexing are the changes produced by 

 a substitution of black or yellow for grey, or by the 

 passing of grey into grey yellow. "The grey goes 

 through all shades till it comes to the clearest black, 

 and the eye stripe becomes less, until hardly seen." He 

 also thinks that the various colours in the females and 

 young are not good specific indications. The clear 

 black head predominates in warm, and the black-grey 

 head in temperate climates, the grey-yellow head being 

 peculiar to England. 



Under these circumstances, and after consulting various 

 specimens, and leaving the English species for others 

 to discuss, I shall introduce into this work the subject 

 of the present notice as distinct; and M. Jlava-cinereo- 

 cephala, and M. fiava-melanocepliala, as probable per- 

 manent varieties or races. And I do this the more 

 willingly because I think the more doubtful a species, 

 the greater the necessity for making it thoroughly 

 well known. 



The Yellow-headed Wagtail is an inhabitant of 



