Descriptive List of the Common Birds 



the ground, sometimes making little sallies into 

 the air after their quarry, and run with great 

 speed. They never hop. They constantly 

 " wag the tail," hence their popular name. 

 The wagtails are distinguished from the pipits 

 by their brighter colouring and longer tails. 

 Pipits are earth-coloured birds with dark stripes 

 along the vein of each feather. 



All the wagtails except M. maderasfatensis 

 are merely winter visitors to the plains of 

 India. 



91. Motacilla alba: The White Wagtail. 

 (F.826), (J.591), (-11.) 



General colour of plumage grey. Face, chin, 

 and throat white, back of head and nape 

 black ; a black patch on the breast, the re- 

 mainder of the lower plumage is white. The 

 wings are black with much white in them. 

 The middle tail feathers are black, the outer 

 ones white. [In all wagtails the outer tail 

 feathers are white, and show up very distinctly 

 during flight.] 



Not found in S. India. (Illus. B. B., p. 1 1 1 .) 



92. Motacilla maderaspatensis : The Large 

 Pied Wagtail. (F. 831), (J. 589), (II.) _ 



A black bird with a conspicuous white eye- 

 brow. The breast and lower plumage are 

 K 145 



