THE WORLD'S BIRDS. I2 ^ 



the Pipits, which also belong to this group, resemble 

 in the streaky-brown plumage, although they can be 

 distinguished by the back of the shanks not having 

 separate scales. The Wagtails have the plumage black, 

 grey and white, or olive-green and yellow. The birds 

 of this family live mostly on the ground, running in- 

 stead of hopping, and are almost entirely insectivorous ; 

 they build low down in banks on the ground. 



Wagtails are for the most part confined to the Old 

 World, over which they range widely, but do not reach 

 Australia, the so-called Wagtail of that country being 

 one of the Fantail Flycatchers, and having a lateral 

 movement of the tail, whereas the true Wagtails move 

 their tails up and down. They show the undulating 

 flight of Passerine birds generally in its most typical 

 form ; they are strong flyers and many are migratory. 

 Our common Grey Wagtail (Motacilla melanope) has a 

 very wide range across the Old World, but the White 

 Wagtail (M. alba), decidedly rare with us, goes 

 further, even reaching Alaska and nesting in Iceland. 



The Pipits are almost the most cosmopolitan of 

 Passerine birds, being found nearly all over both worlds ; 

 one even (Anthus antarcticus) inhabits the island of 

 South Georgia, and is the most southerly Passerine 

 bird. These birds, as a rule, look much alike in their 

 sombre plumage, but two or three South African species 

 of the genus Macronyx are bright red or yellow below, 

 M. capensis being known at the Cape as the " Cut -throat 

 Lark" ; it has an orange-red throat and paler breast. 



Warblers (Sylviince) are small birds, seldom larger 

 than a sparrow, and much resemble delicate-looking 

 thrushes, of brown or olive-green colour as a rule, and 

 devoid of the spotted young plumage. Moreover, the 

 front of the shank is separately scaled as usual. They 

 are mainly insectivorous, but some, like our Blackcap 

 (Sylvia atricapilla), are also great fruit-eaters. This 

 is an Old- World group, though one species invades 



