THE FARMER'S FEATHERED FRIENDS. 55 



humanity, and one other book. And in them a man 

 may read freely, as he has leisure, and be earning 

 his daily bread at the same time. 



To return to our feathered friends. You will see 

 scattered about at various distances, wagtails 

 or dish-washers, as they are locally termed the 

 inseparable companions of the cattle and starlings. 

 The common black and white, or pied wagtail, 

 it is, as a rule, that you see in the pasture-lands. 

 Occasionally you may come across the beautiful 

 yellow - breasted species, but not often ; you will 

 see fifty of the former for one of the latter. These 

 pretty, nimble little creatures, so "peart," as our 

 country folks would say, and lively in their motions, 

 are fly-catchers. They trip and run in all directions 

 round about the great helpless cattle, catching their 

 small tormentors on their legs, bellies, and even 

 from about their heads and ears. The stock would 

 suffer tortures if the birds did not clear their ears out. 

 Many of us know how a poor pony's ears will be 

 sometimes literally black with winged blood-suckers. 



The wagtails brush and flick about with their 

 wings as the creatures graze, and snap the flies 

 that come out in all directions. Sometimes half- 



