YELLOW-HEADED WAGTAIL. 141 



Eastern Russia, Siberia, and Bokhara. It is rarely- 

 found more south, though Calvi has introduced it among 

 the birds of Liguria, and Temminck has given the 

 Crimea, Hungary, and the Archipelago, as probable 

 localities. It is therefore not much known to naturalists, 

 and we must accompany Pennant, Pallas, or Middendorf, 

 into the far cold arctic regions, to gain a glimpse of 

 its whereabouts. 



"This species," says Middendorf, "breeds very rarely in 

 Boganida, (71° N., Br.) In the S. E. I missed it en- 

 tirely. Gould falls into the same mistake as Pallas in 

 stating that the European Yellow Wagtail exceeds M. 

 citreola in size. It is just the contrary. The colour of 

 the back of my Siberian species is also blackish, with 

 a lead-coloured tint, and not greenish, as it is re- 

 presented by Gould. The summer dress of the old female 

 seems hitherto to have escaped observation; what Pallas 

 says respecting it is indefinite, and Gould's drawing 

 does not agree with the Siberian form. The female 

 in summer dress has the top of the head lead-grey, 

 with a greenish tint, and the yellow of the throat is 

 separated from the yellow stripe over the eyes by a 

 grey band." 



Of its habits and propagation nothing is known, as 

 Middendorf does not mention the subject further than 

 in ihe passage quoted. 



The adult male has the top of the head, cheeks, and 

 inferior parts generally vivid and pure citron yellow; 

 on the occiput is a large black band, in the form of a 

 cross; nape, back, crop, and flanks, lead-colour; middle 

 and great wing coverts bordered and terminated with 

 pure white; primaries and rectrices, blackish, except the 

 two lateral tail feathers, which are pure white; feet and 

 legs brown; posterior claw longer than the toe. The 



