MOTACILLA. 265 



c 1 . Outstretched feet not reaching beyond the 



tail Anthus. 



c 2 . Thighs almost entirely feathered ; little or 



no yellow on the wings or tail, subgen. Anthus, Bechst. 1807. 

 d 2 . Thighs mostly naked ; under parts and 

 more than half of the wings and tail 



bright yellow in adults, subgen. . . . Tmetothylacus, Cab. 

 d 1 . Outstretched feet reaching beyond the tail ; [1879. 



feet extremely large ; hind toe with claw 

 exceeding the length of the tarsus ; some 

 bright colours on the under surface . . . Macronyx. 



Genus I. MOTACILLA. 



Upper surface uniform and never brown in adults ; bill fairly long and 

 slender, with the culrnen nearly straight ; tail often longer than the wing 

 and the outer feathers mostly pure white ; under tail-coverts white or bright 

 yellow ; tarsi and feet dark. 



They all have a peculiar habit of raising and lowering the tail which has 

 suggested for them the appropriate name of Wagtails ; feed entirely upon 

 insects, which they mostly capture close to the ground, often darting after 

 them with quick short runs. They breed in holes or dark corners, construct 

 a cup-shaped nest, and lay about five eggs, which are white spotted or 

 mottled with grey or brown. Of the thirteen forms I recognise as Ethiopian, 

 six are confined to that region and the others occur there, generally in flocks, 

 only during their winter migration from September to April. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



, Under tail-coverts pure white. 

 a 1 . Forehead, ear-coverts and a band through 

 the eye to the gape black ; a broad white 

 eyebrow extends forward to the bill. 



a". Planks black or dusky grey nigricotis. ~ 



b 2 . Flanks white or nearly so vidua. ^ c j 



b 1 . No black on forehead or ear-coverts. 



c 2 . No grey on ear-coverts ; forehead and 

 ear-coverts white, except in very young 



birds alba. 2 j j. 



d 2 . Forehead and ear-coverts grey. 



