SOMBRE WAGTAIL. 153 



alha, with its western variety, M. Yarrellii, extending 

 over tlie whole of Europe and North Africa, and another, 

 M. luguhris, occupying the vast continent of Asia, and 

 in its Avestern limits disputing its territory with M. alha. 

 It would also appear from the remarks of Middendorff, 

 that as J£ alba varies in its western habitat from the 

 typical form, so does 31. luguhris in the extreme east 

 become more marked in its coloration. 



In all stages however, it may at once be distinguished 

 from any variety of M. alha, by the wing primaries, 

 more than half of the upper portion of which are pure 

 white, while a white fringe, broader in summer than in 

 winter, runs along the outer edge of the secondaries. 

 The middle wing coverts are also pure white." 



The adult male in winter plumage has the whole of 

 the upper parts, except the rump, black, owing to the 

 ends of the feathers being of that colour ; the basal half 

 of the feather is ash grey. Upper tail feathers black; 

 rump ash grey, mingled more or less with dusky feathers. 

 Throat, lore, ear coverts, belly, under tail and wing 

 coverts, and two outer tail feathers on each side, white. 

 The white of the belly rather tinged with cream-colour, 

 and the second tail feathers on each side having a slight 

 border of blackish brown. First four wing primaries of 

 nearly equal length, the second longest, the fifth, sixth, 

 and seventh each one-third of an inch shorter than the 

 preceding feather; seventh and eighth of equal length. 

 First primary entirely black, all the rest and the second- 

 aries having the basal half of each feather pure white; 

 tips of the inner five primaries, and a border on the 

 inner web of the secondaries, white. Lesser wing coverts 

 and distal half of primaries black; distal half of second- 

 aries black, except the outer border; middle wing coverts 

 with the inner web black, and the outer white, the 



