200 
YELLOW WAGTAIL. 
spotted thickly with a darker shade. The geo- 
graphical range does not extend far to the north- 
ward, and the extreme counties of Scotland, 
where it was observed in 1834, may probably be 
nearly its limit in this direction, as it is not 
known to occur in the northern countries of 
Europe. Southward it reaches Spain and Italy ;* 
and its extra European range is India,f Japan, 
Java, and Sumatra.f 
In form, the Yellow Wagtail is elegant ; but 
appears less lengthened than the members of the 
former genus, from the comparative shortness of 
the tail. The colours of the male and female are 
nearly similarly distributed, but differ in intensity 
and brilliancy. Above, the plumage is entirely 
of a clear yellowish olive or oil green, extending 
over the auriculars and half of the neck, and 
paler there and on the head ; a streak over each 
eye, and above the auriculars, with all the under 
parts, are bright gamboge yellow, darkest on the 
breast. The quills and long secondaries are 
brownish black, and with the greater and lesser 
coverts are tipped and edged with yellowish 
white. The tail is deep brownish black, except 
the two outer feathers on each side, which are 
white ; the second having the outer web, and both 
a streak on the inner webs, of a pale brown. 
The bill, legs, and feet, are also blackish brown ; 
the claws and under surface paler. These birds 
retire early, so soon as they have accomplished 
their incubation ; and although there is no such 
* Prince of Musignana. t Gould, t Teraminck. 
