558 



WINTER WAGTAIL. 



WINTER MEW.— A name for the Gull. 



WINTER WAGTAIL (Motacilla Boarula, Linnjeus.) 



*Motacilla Boarula, Linn. Syst. p. 527 Gmel. Syst.l. p. 997. sp, 5.— Lath. Ind. 



Orn. 2. p. 502. 4.— Motacilla melanopa, Gmel. Syst. 997.— Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. 



503. sp. 5. — Motacilla cinerea, an flava altera Aldrov.l Raii, Syn. p. 75. 3 



Will. p. 172 La Bergeronette jaune, Buff. Ois. 5. p. 268.— Ib. pi. Enl. 28, 



f. 1. young female. — Temm. Man. d'Orn. 1. p. 257. — Motacilla sulphurea, 



Bechst. Naturg. Deut. 3. p. 459 Yellow Wagtail, Albin, 2. t. 58.— Grey 



Wagtail, Br. Zool. 1. No. 144. — Will. (Angl.) p. 238.— Lath. Syn. 4. p. 398. 



4. — Ib. Supp. p. 178. — Mont. Orn. Diet Ib. Supp. — Lewin's Br. Birds, 3. t. 



95.— Edw. t. 259 — Wale. Syn. 2, t. 227.— Putt. Cat. Dorset, p. 8.— Bewick's 

 Br. Birds, 1. p. t. 190 — Flem. Br. Anim. p. 747.— Selby, pi. 49. fig. 2. p. 209.* 



This very elegant species weighs about five drams ; length seven 

 inches and three-quarters. Bill dusky ; irides dark hazel ; crown of 

 the head, cheeks, back of the neck, back, and scapulars, dark cinereous ; 

 greenish yellow on the rump ; the eye-lids, chin, throat, and breast, 

 buff-coloured yellow ; behind the eye a stroke of the same ; belly pale 

 yellow ; the wing coverts and quills black, the former bordered with 

 light brown, the latter slightly edged on the exterior webs of the pri- 

 mores, and the three next the body deeply margined on their outer 

 webs with yellowish white ; the inner webs of all, except the three or 

 four largest, are white at the base ; the vent, sides of the upper and 

 the under tail coverts, bright yellow ; the tail is four inches long, the 

 feathers of which bend a little downwards ; the outer feather is entirely 

 white ; the second white, except on the outer web, which is black to 

 within half an inch of the end ; the third like the last, with the addi- 

 tion of a small streak of black on the edge of the interior web ; the 

 fourth and fifth black ; middle ones dusky, tinged with ash-colour, and 

 edged with yellow towards the base ; legs dusky brown. 



This is the winter plumage. About the beginning of March some 

 spots of black are seen on the throat and chin, which increases till 

 those parts are wholly black, except the tips of the feathers, which are 

 slightly edged with white. 



All authors seem to agree in the mistake that the female does not 

 possess the black mark on the throat, and that such is the distinguish- 

 ing mark of the male sex ; but observing that none had that mark till 

 after the month of February, we were led to dissect several both before 

 the black appeared, and afterwards, and found both sexes with and with- 

 out that mark. 



The Winter Wagtail visits the southern parts of this country about 

 the latter end of September, and departs for the northern parts in April. 

 At first not one is to be seen with the black throat, and in the month of 

 March none are to be found without more or less black on that part ; but 

 in the female it is not so conspicuous. At this season the breast and belly 

 of the male becomes of a bright yellow ; the other sex is also brighter on 



