208 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



and often one or two innermost secondaries are very worn and 

 brown. 



First winter. Female. Like first winter male and not to be 

 distinguished satisfactorily from it, but crown usually with more 

 grey feathers and often with no black at all on mantle. Summer. 

 Very much like first summer male, but mantle greyer, usually 

 with very little black. Browner wings and wing-coverts distinguish 

 it at both seasons from adult female. 



Measurements and structure. <$ wing 87-93 mm., tail 85-90, 

 tarsus 23-25, bill from skull 13-14 (12 measured). 9 wing 83-90. 

 Primaries : 1st minute and hidden. 2nd to 4th usually equal and 

 longest, but 4th occasionally 1 mm. shorter, 5th 3-5 shorter, 

 6th 12-15 shorter ; 3rd to 5th emarginated outer webs. Secondaries 

 between 8th and 10th primaries, tips square, longest secondary 

 usually as long as longest primaries but sometimes between 5th 

 and 6th. Bill fine, rather flat at base. A few short, fine rictal 

 bristles. Hind claw curved usually rather shorter than hind toe. 



Soft parts. Bill, legs and feet black ; iris brown-black. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. For differences of M. a. alba 

 and M. a. j)ersonata see under those forms. Distinguished from all 

 other British Wagtails by its black and white plumage. 



FIELD-CHARACTERS. Flight a succession of long curves. Call- 

 note, uttered chiefly in flight, a sharp " chiz-zit." Alarm note 

 at nest " che-ep." Song a musical elaboration of call-note. For 

 differences of White Wagtail see under that form. 



BREEDING-HABITS. Breeds in holes of walls, sheds, steep banks, 

 ivy, woodstacks, pollarded willows, thatch of buildings, etc. Less 

 commonly it re-lines old nest of some other bird, generally 

 Thrush's or Blackbird's. Nest. Built of moss, dead leaves, 

 twigs, roots, bents, etc., lined hair, feathers or bits of wool. 

 Eggs. Generally 5 or 6 : clutches of 9 to 11, probably 

 by two hens. Ground-colour greyish or bluish-white, spotted 

 or freckled evenly with pale lead-brown and grey. Some varieties 

 are blotched, others pure white or marked with warm brown. 

 Average size of 100 eggs, 20.1 X 15.1 mm. Breeding-season. From 

 latter part April to early May and again in June. Two broods 

 usually, sometimes three, and fresh eggs recorded in August. 

 Incubation. Lasts 13-14 days ; performed chiefly by hen. 

 Fledging-period. 13 days (S. E. Brock). 



FOOD. Chiefly diptera, but also coleoptera and smaller lepidoptera 

 and neuroptera, as well as their larvae. Saxby records fish bones 

 and fragments of shells, and Florence grain, potato, and seeds, 

 but these must be abnormal cases. Young fed chiefly on click 

 beetles (Florence) ; also flies and caterpillars. 



DISTRIBUTION. British Isles. Resident, generally distributed, but 



