YELLOW-HEADED WAGTAIL.

Motacilla citreola, Pail.

La Bergeronette citrine.

A parr of this very rare and beautiful species of Wagtail has been very obligingly lent to us for this Work by
Lieut. Col. W. H. Sykes, whose rich collection of birds from the Dukhun has at all times been open to our
inspection, and has afforded us opportunities of ascertaining the fact, that many of our rare European birds,
which more exclusively belong to the eastern portions of that continent, are in reality natives of the western
countries of Asia, whence, it would appear, they occasionally migrate to the adjoining districts of Europe, so as
to form a connecting link uniting the productions of Europe to those of Asia; and this appears to be the
case with the bird before us, whose rare and uncertain visits, according to M. Temminck, to Oriental Russia
and the Crimea have afforded little opportunity of ascertaining either its habits or the circumstances connected
with its nidification ; but we may reasonably expect, from its close affinity in appearance to our well-known
Yellow Wagtail (Wotacilla flava, Ray,), its habits and manners, as well as its mode of nidification, that it is
somewhat similar. In the Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological
Society of London, Lieut. Col. Sykes briefly mentions, that this bird has the habits, manners, aspect and size
of Budytes melanocephala, and, like it, is solitary and only found in the vicinity of rivers ; but Colonel Sykes
did not see the two species together. Larvae of water insects and greenish mud were found in the stomach.
Colonel Sykes expresses his belief, that this species together with the Budytes melanocephala and Budytes
Beema, all possessing the long hind claw, do not habitually perch, but like other birds with a similar claw, as
in the genera Anthus, Alauda, Mirafra, and Fringilla crucigera, Temm., nocturnate on the ground. We
regret that neither our own observations, nor the numerous works to which we have access, will enable us to
add much to this short notice ; we may state, however, that we coincide with the views of M. T emminck in
considering that Hungary and the Archipelago may also be occasionally visited by it.

In size the Motacilla citreola is somewhat inferior both to JZ. flava and neglecta, from both of which it may
readily be distinguished, in its spring plumage, by the fine citron yellow which covers the top of the head, the
cheeks, and the whole of the under surface. A crescent-shaped band of black crosses the occiput, and dark
ash colour slightly tinged with grey pervades the upper plumage ; the middle and the greater coverts of the
wings are edged with white; the tail-feathers black, with the exception of the two outer ones on each side,
which are white.

The males and females in winter,

then yellow like the rest of the head. oy
Our Plate represents a male and female, proved to be such by dissection, in their summer plumage; the

lower bird in the Plate being the male.

says M. Temminck, have not the black occipital band, that part being