luscinidj:. 147 



worms and larvae, of which the newly-turned furrows 

 present a vast abundance. These birds, indeed, are 

 as useful as the Fly-catchers and the Swallows ; 

 sometimes during their flight, but more frequently 

 on the ground amidst the herbage, they seize upon 

 the flies and gnats which have escaped the bills of 

 their other pursuers in the air. The insect population 

 of ponds and marshes, however, constitute their 

 chief nourishment. Their slight forms, small head, 

 delicate feet, and long tail, distinguish them at once 

 from all the other Dentirostral birds. 



The t}^e of this sub -family — 



^ The White Wagtail {Motacilla alba), is everpvhere to 

 be seen frequeiiting the margins of ponds and streams. 

 It does not hop, like most of its near relatives, but runs 

 about in search of its insect food, which it pecks from 

 the ground, or occasionally rising with a short jerking 

 flight, snaps at it m the air, 



Wlien on the gromid, they are constantly employed in 

 beating the surface with their tails, probably to rouse the 

 insects upon which they feed. They delight in being 

 near the edge of the water, and often approach the 

 washerwomen ; and, moreover, seem to imitate with 

 their tails the beatmg of linen. Hence the French have 

 given them the name of Lavandieres ; while, in England, 

 they are not unfrequently called by the less elegant name 

 of Dish-washers. They run lightly with very nimble 

 steps upon the strand, and their long legs enable them 

 to enter the water to a small depth ; but they are usually 

 seen upon stones, or little hillocks in the stream. This 

 Wagtail constructs its nest on the ground, under roots 

 of trees, or at the edge of the water, under some hollow 

 bank, in elevated piles of wood by the side of the river, 

 and sometimes in heaps of stones. It is composed of 

 dry grass, fibrous roots, and moss, connected carelessly 

 together, and lined with horsehair and feathers in 

 abundance. The eggs are of a bluish-white, spotted 

 with brown. There are usually two broods m the year. 

 The male relieves the female during some hours of the 

 day from the confinement of incubation. 



