258 MOTACILLID.E MOTACILLA 



axillaries, under wing and tail-coverts white ; edge of wing mottled 

 black and white. 



Iris brown ; bill black ; legs and feet greyish-brown. 



Length 7-50; wing 3-10; tail 3-85 ; tarsus 0-80 ; culmen O55. 



Adult female. Resembles the male in plumage. 



Young. Above, browner than the adults ; the crescent across 

 the lower throat browner and narrower ; the white wing-mark- 

 ings less distinct ; the centre tail-feathers mottled at their bases 

 with white. 



Distribution. Eastern Cape Colony : rather rare, but found near 

 Grahamstown, Kingwilliamstown and East London, becoming more 

 common, but still locally distributed, in Natal, Zululand, and the 

 Eastern Transvaal. It is also found in Abyssinia. 



Habits. This peculiarly beautiful and graceful Wagtail is not 

 uncommon on such of the rocky streams of Natal and Zululand as 

 are broken by numerous rapids and waterfalls and I have myself 

 never met with it elsewhere. Unless the young have lately left 

 the nest, seldom more than a pair are seen together, and these 

 monopolise a certain range of stream which they appear never to 

 leave. In their habits they very closely resemble the Grey Wagtail 

 of Europe. In all its movements the Grey-backed Wagtail is 

 extremely active and graceful, whether tripping over the pebbles 

 by the side of the stream, or flitting over its surface in pursuit of 

 flies or mosquitoes. Its flight is low and undulating, but direct ; 

 when resting its tail is constantly vibrating. It is fond of perching 

 on certain favourite rocks or stones that show their tops above the 

 stream, especially if they are surrounded by broken water. Both 

 the male and female frequently utter a sharp " chirrup," almost 

 invariably so as they take flight ; in spring and summer the male 

 has in addition a low but pleasant warbling song of a few notes. 

 This Wagtail feeds entirely on insects, chiefly on the larvae of 

 dragon-flies and mosquitoes, but also on flies and other winged 

 insects. A newly completed nest, found near Pinetown in Natal 

 on August 5, was built on the ledge of a rock by the side of 

 a waterfall ; it was rather bulky, constructed outwardly of dead 

 leaves, moss and dry grass, the cup-shaped hollow lined with fine 

 rootlets and hair. At this date the eggs had not been laid and 

 they appear to be unknown to collectors. 



