Common Birds of Western Himalayas 



rumped swallows are to be seen daily seek- 

 ing their insect quarry over the lake at Naini 

 Tal. 



THE MOTACILLID^E OR WAGTAIL FAMILY 



The great majority of the wagtails are 

 merely winter visitors to India. Thus they 

 are likely to be seen in the hills only when 

 resting from their travels. That is to say, in 

 April and May, when homeward bound, or in 

 September and October, when they move south- 

 wards. A few wagtails, however, tarry in the 

 hills till quite late in the season. The wagtail 

 most likely to be seen is the grey wagtail 

 (Motacilla melanope). This species, notwith- 

 standing its name, has bright yellow lower 

 plumage. It nests in Kashmir. 



Allied to the wagtails are the pipits. These 

 display the elegant form of the wagtail and 

 the sober colouring of the lark. 



They affect open country and feed on the 

 ground. The upland pipit {Oreocorys syl- 

 vanus) is the common species of the Himalayas. 

 It constructs a nest of grass on the ground, 

 into which the common cuckoo, of which 

 more anon, frequently drops an egg. 



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