THE WAGTAILS. 43 



The female does not differ materially from the male ; 

 the length is 4 inches 4 lines. 



The next family, Motacilla or Wagtails, was origi- 

 nated by Latham, and seems a natural and justi- 

 fiable order. The Gray Wagtail (M. boarula) 

 is a partially migratory bird, which haunts the 

 clear stream, and by its elegant form and sprightly 

 motions enlivens the loneliest spot. They like to 

 breed near a waterfall, either in some mountain or 

 hilly district, or near the fall of a water-mill. The 

 nest is usually on the ledge of a rock or bank, 

 in a sheltered position. It is rudely made of stalks 

 and roots, and lined with hair and fine grass. This 

 bird feeds chiefly on insects and the smaller mol- 

 luscs. It is generally distributed in the south of 

 England in the summer, but is not very abundant. 

 It usually has two broods during the season, com- 

 mencing very early in the spring. It is common in 

 the north of England, Scotland, and* Ireland. 



The upper parts are ash, the rump olive-yellow; 

 above the eyes and on the sides of the neck there is 

 a white band ; the throat is deep black, the lower 

 parts of a clear yellow; the wings and six inter- 

 mediary quill-feathers of the tail are black, edged 

 with white and olive ; the three side quill-feathers 

 of the tail white, the other two are black on the 

 outer edges. The tail is 2\ inches longer than 

 the ends of the wings. The length of the male is 

 7 inches and 3 lines. The above is the spring 

 plumage of the male. The female and the male, 

 after the autumnal moult, have no black on the 



