ti4 TriE WATER-WAGTAIL^, PIPITS ANt> TITS. 



the tents on the Esplanade, enchanting the children, 

 a&d those whose hearts are still child-like, with their 

 pretty familiarity. 



There is only one other species which 1 need 

 mention. It is a permanent resident and is very 

 common all over the Deccan, but not so often seen in 

 Bombay, because it is more a water bird than the 

 others and will not wander far from its river or tank. 

 It will have nothing to do with salt water. The 

 species I mean is, of course, the Pied Wagtail, 

 (Motacilla maderaspatana). It is a larger bird than 

 the others and is coloured very like the Magpie 

 Robin, shining black on the upper parts, with a 

 broad white patch on the wing, and pure white from 

 the breast downwards. Its tail is half black and half 

 white. It has also a broad white eyebrow, which the 

 Magpie Robin has not. It is a very sweet singer 

 and is sometimes caged. While all our other 

 Wagtails are migratory, the Pied Wagtail not only 

 remains with us the whole year, but sticks to one 

 spot. One reason for this appears to be that it is 

 always engaged in bringing up a family. Barnes 

 mentions one pair which made five nests, or at least 

 laid eggs five times, in less than half a year, and I 

 once found a large series of old nests of all ages on 

 the beams of a bridge. Any ledge, or shelf, or niche 

 near to water will do. An old boat affords endless 

 eligible sites, and I do not believe you will find a 

 discarded hulk on a river anywhere in the Deccan 

 without a pair ot Pied Wagtails in possession, singing 

 and swinging their long tails and driving off all rivals. 

 There are usually three or four eggs, of a greenish- 

 white colour, spotted and splashed with brown. 



