BUDYTES. QUAKETAIL. 207 



The general form is slender, the body ovate, the neck rather 

 short, the head ovato-oblong, small, and narrow. The feet of 

 ordinary length, slender ; the tarsus much compressed, ante- 

 riorly covered with eight scutella, sharp behind. Toes of 

 moderate length, much compressed ; the first large, narrow be- 

 neath ; the second and fourth about equal ; the third much 

 longer, and united to the fourth as far as the second joint. 

 Claws long, laterally channelled, extremely compressed, slightly 

 arched, that of the hind toe very long. Fig. 149. 



Plumage soft and blended ; the feathers oblong or ovate, 

 rounded, with the barbs loose at the end ; bristle-feathers at 

 the base of the upper mandible extremely small. The wings 

 are long, broad, and rather pointed, of eighteen quills, of which 

 nine are primary, the first three nearly equal and longest ; one 

 of the inner secondaries as long, when the wing is closed. Tail 

 long, slender, rounded, of twelve narrow, weak feathers. 



The Quaketails form the transition from the Pipits to the 

 Wagtails, but are more allied to the latter, from which indeed 

 they differ only in having the tail shorter, and the claws less 

 arched and longer, that of the hind toe especially being much 

 elongated. In the form of their wings they resemble the Pipits 

 and Larks, which pass into the Lark Buntings and Buntings, 

 as well as the Wagtails, which lead to the Saxicolae. 



These birds feed upon insects and larva?, frequent open j^as- 

 tures, ploughed fields, and moist meadovv^s, run with great 

 celerity, often jDursue insects on wing, sometimes on plants, 

 and fly with rapidity in beautiful curves. On settling, they 

 vibrate and expand their tail, like the birds of the next genus ; 

 their notes are shrill and frequently repeated, but they are desti- 

 tute of song. They nestle among the herbage or in stony places. 

 Two species occur in this country, both migratory, one pretty 

 common and generally distributed, the other very rare. 



