THE WATER-WAGTAILS, PIPITS AND TITS. 113 



that again it is white. In summer it dons a different 

 costume, in which the throat and breast and the back 

 of the head and neck are all black, but we seldom, 

 if ever, see this, because at that time it is in Siberia 

 or thereabouts. There is a difficulty about the name 

 of this bird. There are in fact two species of Grey 

 Wagtails, quite distinct from each other, but very 

 difficult to distinguish, so much alike are they in 

 their winter plumage. In the early seventies Mr. 

 A. O. Hume was very much exercised about these 

 two birds, and at that time he was very innocent of 

 any leaning towards Buddhist principles in the 

 matter of taking animal life. He engaged all his 

 friends and helpers in a jehad against the whole race 

 of Grey Wagtails, that he might determine to which 

 species they belonged. I never heard the number of 

 the slain, but some survived, and I believe that by 

 far the greater number of those which visit us are of 

 the species known in Europe as the White Wagtail 

 (Motacilla alba). In Jerdon's book this and the other 

 are lumped together under the name Motacilla duk- 

 khiinensis, the Black-faced Wagtail, a most unfortu- 

 nate name for a bird whose most striking feature, 

 when it comes to us, is its clean white face. 



Then there are the Yellow and Green Wagtails, 

 birds with olive or slaty backs and yellow breasts, 

 perplexingly like each other in their winter plumage. 

 The two commonest kinds are described by Jerdon 

 under the names the Grey-and-Yellow Wagtail 

 (Calobates sulphured] and the Indian Field Wagtail 

 (Budytes viridis). All these come to us in September 

 and remain till nearly May, disporting themselves in 

 all open places. They are always to be found among 

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