Brifish Birds. 



THE 



In some respects these birds resemble the Warblers 

 {Svlviida'], but they possess one character which shews a 

 WAGTAILS AND PIPITS, ^j^^^^ resemblance to the Larks, viz., the shape of the 



Fnmily 



MOTACILLID.E. 



\ 



wing, in which the inner secondaries are lengthened, so as 

 to nearly equal the primary-quills in extent. They are 

 also "round-loving birds, walking or running like the Larks, and not hopping like 

 Finches or Thrushes. 



The Pied Wagtail (Motacilla !ngu- 

 bfls). This is one of our most elegant 

 little birds, and is familiarly known as the 

 ' Dish-washer' in many parts of England, 

 and in France it is called the ' Lavandiere' 

 or ' Washer-woman.' It has a graceful 

 way of vibrating the tail, especially when 

 it first alights on the ground, a peculiarity 

 also observable in the Pipits. The 

 male Pied Wagtail is black above, 

 but the female never seems to acquire 

 a perfectly black back, this being dusky 

 grey, more or less mixed with black, even 

 in the breeding season. In winter the 

 throat is white, with a black band across 

 the fore-neck, and instead of a perfecth- 

 black head, the forehead is white, with 

 only the hind part of the head black. 

 Young birds in their first winter may be 

 told by the yellowish tinge on the face ; 

 otherwise they resemble the old birds in 

 their winter plumage. 



Great Britain is the home of the Pied 

 Wagtail, as it breeds scarcely anywhere 

 else, and is a species peculiar to Western 

 Europe. It has been found nesting in the 

 North West of France, and occasionally in Holland. It remains in England during 

 the winter, though a certain number migrate, but the winter range extends only 

 through Western Europe to France, Spain and Morocco. 



The nest is a simple structure of grass or moss, neatly lined with hair or wool, 

 built in the hole of a wall or bank, or on the stems of ivy. The eggs are five or six 

 in number, pale, sprinkled with purplish brown dots on a whitish ground. 



The White Wagtail (Motacilla alba]. This species is similar in form and 

 markings to the ordinary Pied Wagtail, but is easily distinguished by its uniform 



Thk White Wagtail. 

 The Pied Wagtail. 



