GREY-HEADED YELLOW WAGTAIL. 145 



to his mate witli Ms soft and tender notes. There is 

 much agility in all their movements, but they are ex- 

 cessively timid, and are driven away by the least noise. 

 Notwithstanding they are taken in numbers in Italy, 

 where the pleasures of the table supersede any regard 

 for the utility of these birds. The nest is placed at a 

 slight elevation on the ground, either among the grass 

 or corn, and is formed of roots, blades of grass, and 

 moss; the interior is made soft and warm by wool. The 

 eggs are four or five in number, and do not sensibly 

 differ from those of the Yellow Wagtail." 



The ^''specific characters" by which this notice is 

 headed, are those by Avhich this variety may generally 

 be distinguished, but they are by no means constant. 

 Mr. Tristram has sent me two specimens of M. Jlava of 

 Linnseus, (known to British naturalists by the name M. 

 neglecta, adopted by Gould and Yarrell,) shot in Algeria, 

 one in May, 1856, the other in May, 1857. In the 

 former the head is grey; the white mark extends from 

 the posterior angle of the eye for five lines and a half, 

 but not over it at all, and the throat is pure white. In 

 the latter, a male, the white stripe extends as usual over 

 the eye, but the throat, like the rest of the body, is 

 yellow, with this exception, that the feathers at the hase 

 of the under mandible, and a line separating the grey 

 of the head from the yelloio of the throat, are tvhite. 

 These are evidently transitional varieties, and did they 

 point to real structu.ral changes, would be valuable 

 supports of the natural selection theory. 



Of the adult male the top of the head, the nape, and 

 cheeks are of a grey lead-colour; the back and rump 

 bright olive green; throat, sides, and front of the neck 

 pure white; rest of the under parts bright and deep 

 yellow, having the flanks more or less olive green; wing 



