THE PIED WAGTAIL. 179 



My wife having undertaken the duty of feeding during the day, I sent my 

 man for the nest in the evening, but it was empty, and a cat was seen slinking 

 away. Next morning, however, one young one shivering with cold and wheezing 

 badly, was discovered behind a board: under careful treatment it soon recovered, 

 and was reared without trouble upon crushed tea-biscuit, preserved yolk of egg, 

 ants' cocoons, and Abrahams' food for Insectivorous birds, mixed together and 

 moistened. We have found this little Wagtail a very interesting pet : in the 

 summer we let him fly about the dining-room, where he delights in playing the 

 game of hide-and-seek, keeping quite still until discovered, when he excitedly 

 shouts chizzic, chizzic, and runs out from his retreat : he is absolutely tame, fighting 

 with us after the manner of a Canary. When tired of flying about he always 

 returns to his cage of his own accord and jumps up to his perch. 



As a rule, and especially during the winter months, when we are afraid to let 

 " Chizzic " out, on account of fires, his cage is kept in my conservatory ; and, if 

 my wife goes out there without stopping to have a fight, he shouts to her in a 

 most reproving tone : his excitement when she pokes her finger through the bars 

 is ludicrous, he screams with excitement and (although it is difficult to imagine 

 how a bird-face can be made to express glee) he undoubtedly appears to laugh 

 much as one sees a dog do when playing. He is always ready to fight me, but 

 never shows the same madcap hilarity as with my wife. On several occasions 

 when my servant has played with him, he has half spread his wings, arched his 

 back, depressed his tail, and sung the true wild song to her : sometimes in the 

 spring he sings from his perch, but not often.* 



All insectivorous birds make more or less interesting pets when hand-reared ; 

 but none are so satisfactory as the Wagtails (doubtless the other species would be 

 quite as pleasing as the Pied) ; even when caught wild, most examples of Motacilla 

 soon become tame if kindly treated : they are easy to feed, living for years upon 

 crumbled household bread, yolk of egg and ants' cocoons, moistened (either by the 

 addition of a little water or mashed potato) and a few insects, their larvae, or 

 spiders from time to time. But, unless hand-reared neither the Pied-, nor any 

 other Wagtail, should be kept in a cage ; and certainly, when possible, the liberty 

 of a room should be allowed for a short time each day to a caged specimen ; even 

 then, at its autumn moult the pet cage-bird fails to cast the scales on the tarsi, 

 which yearly pile up on the front of its feet and much disfigure it. 



* Since I penned the above account, little "Chizzic" has passed away: even to the last he tried to bear 

 up, making an effort to play at fighting when so weak that he staggered wildly in his walk. 



