WHITE WAGTAIL 533 



limits are formed by Holland and Norway, the bird also breeding 

 in Belgium and France, but being only an accidental visitor to 

 Belgium and Italy. In winter a certain number of these wagtails 

 migrate to the south of France, Spain, and northern Africa, In the 

 British Islands, where it is partially migratory (some individuals 

 moving southwards but not leaving the country, while others cross the 

 Channel), the species breeds everywhere, with the exception of the 

 Shetland Islands, where it is only seen on migration, although com- 

 paratively few individuals nest in the Orkneys and Outer Hebrides. 



In those parts of the country where it does not remain for the 

 winter, the return of the pied wagtail is one of the signs of the advent 

 of spring ; the graceful, undulating flight of these birds rendering them 

 peculiarly attractive, as do their tameness and familiarity during the 

 breeding-season. At each dip in the flight the well-known call-note 

 is uttered. The food of this and other wagtails consists mainly of 

 insects and other small invertebrates, the former being frequently 

 caught in the air, either as the bird runs along the grass or in a short 

 flight undertaken for the capture. The rough nest of grass, rootlets, 

 and moss, neatly lined with hair, wool, and a few feathers, may be 

 placed in a hole of a bank, amid the roots of a tree, in the ivy on a 

 wall, or in an outbuilding. The first clutch of five to six eggs may 

 be laid so early as April, and the second in June or July. In ground- 

 colour the eggs are dirty grey or bluish white, upon which are 

 numerous small spots of purplish brown thickly crowded together. 

 Wagtails' nests, like those of titlarks, are special favourites with cuckoos. 



It has been proposed to regard the pied wagtail merely as a local 

 race of the white wagtail. On this view the name of the former will be 

 M. alba /itgubris, and that of the latter J/, a. typica. 



White Wafftail ^" summer-dress both sexes of the white wagtail 

 (Motaeilla alba) ^'^ easily distinguished from the pied species, 

 having the back light ashy grey, the forehead and 

 the sides of the head and neck white, the abdomen also white, but 

 the throat and fore part of the neck black, and the outer tail-feathers 

 white with a black edge to the inner web. In winter the resemblance 

 to the pied wagtail is very close, the present species being mainly 

 distinguished by the paler grey of the back. In young birds the 

 white on the head and throat displays a tinge of yellow, and the 

 plumage is almost indistinguishable from that of the pied species at 

 the same age, although there is more white on the wings and the 

 general tone is paler. 



